Humboldt State University Digital Commons @ Humboldt State University Susie Van Kirk Papers Special Collections 5-2010 Fort Humboldt Conflict Period Susie Van Kirk Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/svk Part of the History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Van Kirk, Susie, "Fort Humboldt Conflict Period" (2010). Susie Van Kirk Papers. 14. https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/svk/14 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Special Collections at Digital Commons @ Humboldt State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Susie Van Kirk Papers by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Humboldt State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FORT HUMBOLDT CONFLICT PERIOD May 2010 HH (May-June 1982:12) Report from 1st Lieut. Hunt, Fort Humboldt, 30 June 1853 regarding Mountain Indians—They are in a state of quasi-hostility; they may be considered hostile to the extent of committing depredations upon the pack trains passing through their country whenever they have the opportunity and they are as a body, hostile to the extent that they care to be. But the occasional murders which they have committed from time to time upon citizens passing through their country, frequently, no doubt, is retaliation for the outrages of white miscreants have been visited so terribly upon the heads of great numbers of them—innocent and guilty being alike included in the punishment—they will not in general molest even small parties, especially if they seem to be upon their guard. The sooner that Lt. Beall’s humane policy be applied to these Indians, the better. It is the only practicable mode, if there be any, of putting an end to the present unfortunate state of things and I believe that with time and good management it will prove successful. In the meantime small parties of troops should be sent out frequently upon the principal trails.... Secretary of War. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Series I, L, Part 1, numbers 105 and 106 Washington, G.P.O., 1897. pg. 68, 300 Indian prisoners at Fort Humboldt pg. 69-70. Letter from Lieut. Col. Jas. N. Olney, Fort Humboldt to Major R.C. Dunn, U.S.A., San Francisco, dated 8 June 1862: I beg respectfully to report that the limited number of troops at this post renders it impossible to detail a sufficient guard (in addition to that required over the many general prisoners in the very weak guard house) to safely keep the large body of Indians now here and constantly accumulating. This fact, together with the frequent complaints from the Indians that white men, soldiers and others, were nightly having intercourse with the squaws (a knowledge of which prevented many Indians at large from coming in), rendered it in my judgment necessary to take measures to suppress this evil, and at the same time secure the safe custody of the Indian prisoners. Accordingly I ordered the construction of a circular corral, now completed, eighty feet in diameter and 10 feet high, to be built of two-inch plank, 12 feet in length, standing upright and two feet in the ground. pg. 79, Fort Baker, 14 May 1862 from Capt. Thos. Ketchem; detachment brought in 59 Indians—19 bucks, 24 squaws, 16 children; total at post now is 88. Humboldt Historian, May-June 1982:12. Report from 1st Lieut. Hunt, Fort Humboldt, dated 30 June 1853 regarding Mountain Indians—They are in a state of quasi-hostility, they may be considered hostile to the extent of committing depredations upon the pack trains passing through their country whenever they have the opportunity and they are as a body, hostile to the extent that they care to be. But the occasional murders which they have committed from time to time upon citizens passing through their country, frequently, no doubt, is retaliation fro the outrages of white miscreants have been visited so terribly upon the heads of great number of them— innocent and guilty being alike included in the punishment; they will not in general molest even small parties, especially if they seem to be upon their guard. The sooner that Lt. Beall’s humane policy be applied to these Indians, the better. It is the only practicable mode, if there be any of putting an end to the present unfortunate state of things and I believe that with time and good management it will prove successful. In the meantime small parties of troops should sent out frequently upon the principal trails.... Humboldt Times Editor Edwin D. Coleman 9 Sept. 1854 to 5 Jan. 1856. HT (23 Sept. 1854) Indian Murder—On Monday morning, the 18th inst., Mr. Arthur Wigmore of St. Louis, Missouri, an Irishman by birth, was killed at the lower Rancheree on Weeott river about a half a mile from his house. A friend writing to us says: “Deceased with three others went to a Rancheree about sunset on Sunday to arrest an Indian who had a few days previously robbed Mr. Hawks’ house; they did not find the guilty one and attempted to arrest his father, the Indian resisted and the company were unable to arrest him. Next morning, Monday, the deceased returned to the Rancheree to get a rope he had left there; upon his not returning, on Tuesday, a company went in search of him, when they were informed by some of the Indians that Wigmore was killed and his body thrown into the slough. On Wednesday his friends found his body some distance from the water, where he had been dragged by the Indians. He was shot with a shot gun in the right side, all the back part of his brains were knocked out apparently with an axe; his jugular was cut through, he had 13 other wounds, either of which were mortal. Such was the finding of the jury of citizens, nineteen, who aided in the examination. An Indian named Billy is charged with having shot Mr. Wigmore, however, there are many stories afloat in regard to the matter. All concur in saying that Mr. Wigmore was a peaceable, industrious, and sober man. The Indians have all fled from their Rancherees into the mountains. On Thursday night the citizens of Eureka held a meeting and passed resolutions, pledging themselves to co-operate with the citizens of the lower end of the county in their endeavors to arrest the supposed murders or punish the tribe. A party went from this place yesterday in pursuit of the Indians, whom they found on the North Beach, they promised to hunt up the murderers of Wigmore and bring them to Eureka, dead or alive. A correspondent asks, “Will those who are vested with authority, paid by the Government, aid in bringing the murderers to justice?”.... [microfilm damaged] Since writing the above, we learn from Mr. Robinson that he and two others on Thursday went up Eel river above the first Fishery and took between twenty and 30 friendly Indians, who came with them and expressed a willingness to assist the white people in arresting the murderers; while with the Indians Mr. Robinson spied a party of nine or ten white man on the opposite side of the river, going toward the Rancheree of some friendly Indians; he wrote a note and dispatched it by an Indian, requesting them to come to him; they received the note and instead of coming to him, pursued their course to the Rancheree, where they commenced shooting the unarmed Indians, two of whom were wounded. Mr. Robinson and companions upon hearing the firing, hastened to the place and induced them to stop shooting. The Indian men ran off, leaving their squaws at the mercy of the white men. One of the men caught a squaw and dragged her across the river, and into the bushes; her screams were heard at some distance. Mr. Robinson finding he could not control the party, left them bringing back his two companions and two of the other party. The balance pursued on after the Indians. The details of the affairs are disgusting. HT (30 Sept. 1854) The Murderer of Mr. Wigmore Killed—A friend writes us from Eel river, Sunday 24th—“Capt. Pomeas, the chief, and his company have returned from their search after the murderers of Wigmore. They brought the head of one of them they killed last night. I readily recognized his countenance as one of the murderers named by the Indians. They also brought the revolver belonging to the deceased and told where his gun was or could be found, broken. We found the breach but not the barrel. I have the pistol and head in my possession. They are going out again tonight in search of two others they have heard from. We have told them to bring them alive if possible.” HT (30 Sept. 1854) We with pleasure give place to the following contradiction of the statement we published in our last number. Our information was obtained from Mr. Robinson....Eel River, Sept. 27, 1854. Editor of Humboldt Times: We, the company that went in search of the murderers of Wigmore, a few days ago, take this opportunity of informing you that you were misinformed, either malignantly of through ignorance concerning the conduct of said company and particularly as to the committal of violence upon the person of a squaw, by one of our party. G.A. and Thomas Dungan, A. Denman, G.W. Larimore, J.F. Whiten, W.