U.S. Cavalry’s “gratifying” slaughter of Pomo Indians at Clear Lake in 1850

The Pomo’s Deadly Revenge at Clear Lake

Clear Lake’s peaceful waters hide one of California’s darkest chapters.

In 1849, two brutal ranchers enslaved local Pomo families, starving them while forcing parents to hand over daughters for abuse. When Pomo warriors finally killed their captors on Christmas morning, the U.S. Army responded with overwhelming force.

Soldiers surrounded families gathering for spring fishing and slaughtered up to 200 men, women, and children on what became known as Bloody Island.

The 1850 massacre was systematic genocide, with troops hunting survivors through the reeds and bayoneting children.

Today’s Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument preserves this tragic story through historical markers and the landscape where it unfolded.

Brutal Ranch Owners Enslaved Native People Near Clear Lake

Andrew Kelsey and Charles Stone bought cattle and land rights from Salvador Vallejo near Clear Lake in 1847. They forced local Pomo and Wappo Indians to build them a house measuring 15 by 40 feet.

Several hundred workers spent two months building it and got only one cow per day to eat. The settlers kept families in fenced villages.

Each family got just four cups of wheat daily and couldn’t hunt or fish. Stone and Kelsey made parents bring their daughters for sex abuse and shot at their slaves for fun.

Abuse Turned Deadly as Settlers Tormented Pomo Workers

Stone killed a young Pomo man who asked for more wheat for his sick mother. Both men took native women against their will, including future chief Augustine’s wife.

Stone and Kelsey grabbed Indians from nearby valleys and sold them like cattle. Parents got beatings if they refused to bring their daughters.

The abuse grew worse over time, with no mercy shown to the enslaved people. Their cruelty became well-known throughout the area.

Gold Fever Led to Mass Starvation of Pomo Men

Kelsey forced 50 Pomo men to work in the gold fields in fall 1849. He got malaria during the trip and sold the Pomo workers’ food to other miners.

The workers starved with only one or two men coming back alive. Worried families asked about their missing loved ones.

Andrew Kelsey lied, saying the men weren’t far behind. The truth was darker – most died from hunger while working for Kelsey’s profit in the gold fields.

A Young Boy’s Murder Pushed Pomo People to Fight Back

Kelsey whipped a young Pomo boy 100 times, then shot him in the head. Some stories say the boy begged for more food for starving relatives.

Others claim it happened because he talked to a Pomo woman Kelsey kept for himself. Chief Augustine, who worked for Kelsey and Stone, gave the most trustworthy account.

After seeing 100 Pomo men die in the gold mines and this final murder, Augustine said, “The Indians made up their minds to kill Stone and Kelsey.

Christmas Morning Brought Freedom Through Rebellion

Augustine’s wife poured water on Stone and Kelsey’s gunpowder before the attack, making it useless. Pomo warriors Suk and Xasis attacked the house at dawn on Christmas 1849.

They killed Kelsey with an arrow right away. Stone jumped out a window and tried to hide in willow trees.

Augustine found him and killed him with a rock. The bodies were hidden under cow hides as the Pomo ran away.

Augustine later said, “They had their liberty once more and were free men.

Soldiers Hunted for Revenge After Settlers’ Deaths

Benjamin Kelsey learned about his brother’s death in December 1849. On Christmas Day he told Lieutenant John Davidson in Sonoma what happened.

Davidson and his men, led by Kit Carson’s brother, went to the ranch. They killed Indians along the way and found the bodies.

The soldiers caught twelve “Isla Indians” to question but killed them when they tried to run. Lieutenant Davidson saw a tribe on an island that seemed too hard to attack right then.

He planned another trip to reach them.

Spring Fish Gathering Drew Families to Bo-no-po-ti Island

Many Pomo fled to join relatives around Clear Lake after the rebellion. Some went to Bo-no-po-ti (Island Village) for the spring fish spawn, a traditional gathering time.

Most younger Pomo men were hunting in the mountains to the north. Women, children, and older men made up most people on the island during the gathering.

They didn’t know military forces planned to attack them.

Military Forces Surrounded Innocent Families With Gunboats

On May 15, 1850, Lieutenants Nathaniel Lyon and J. W. Davidson led soldiers to punish Augustine’s band. They came “with orders to proceed against the Clear Lake Indians, and exterminate if possible the tribe.”

They found a different group of Pomo on Bo-no-po-ti but attacked anyway. Soldiers used boats and cannons from Benicia Arsenal to surround the island.

The Pomo had no warning and nowhere to escape.

Soldiers Turned the Island Into a Killing Field

Lyon later wrote that “the island became a perfect slaughtering pen” since Indians couldn’t escape the soldiers and heavy guns. The troops killed old men, women and children one by one.

Many women and children died from bayonet stabs. Lyon reported “most gratifying results” as soldiers chased fleeing families into tule reeds.

Six-year-old Ni’ka (Lucy Moore) lived by hiding underwater and breathing through a hollow reed for hours while the killing went on above her.

The Killing Continued Down Russian River

After the island massacre, the army killed 75 more Pomo along the Russian River.

Soldiers traveled 20 miles downriver to another island where native people lived and trapped at least 75 more there. The National Park Service counts about 60 of 400 Pomo killed on the island.

Other reports say 200 died there. By day’s end, careful counts put nearly 200 Indians dead.

Pomo historians believe the number may be closer to 400 when counting all locations.

A Hidden History Finally Gets Recognition

The Alta California newspaper wrote about the horror: “It was the order of extermination fearfully obeyed. They fell as grass before the sweep of the scythe.”

Lucy Moore lived until 110 and shared firsthand accounts with descendants including Clayton Duncan. Most history books about California ignored the Bloody Island incident throughout the 20th century.

California Historical Landmark No.427 was placed in 2005 by the State Department of Parks and Recreation working with the Lucy Moore Foundation to teach people about the massacre.

Visiting Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, California

You can visit the Bloody Island Massacre historical marker at the intersection of State Highway 20 and Reclamation Road, 1.7 miles southeast of Upper Lake.

The roadside plaque is free and accessible anytime, though the actual massacre site is 0. 25 miles west on a hill surrounded by farmland.

Every May 15th, the Lucy Moore Foundation and Robinson Rancheria Pomo hold a Sunrise Ceremony of Forgiveness here to honor the up to 200 Pomo people killed by U.S. Cavalry in retaliation.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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