Hill, Dorothy

3. The Indians of Chico Rancheria

U.S. Treaty with Indians, 1851

The U.S. Congress, attempting to hold the conflict between the Indians and whites to a minimum, enacted legislation in September 1850 authorizing treaties with the California Indians whereby the latter would be guaranteed reservations and some economic aid. The Indians were guaranteed strips of land as reservations as well as some annual government aid, and in return for these concessions, they were to stay on their reservations (page 20).

 On August 1, 1851 the headmen of the nearby territories of Mechoopda, Eskuin, Hololupi, Toto, Sunus, Cheno, Batsi, Yutduc, and Simsawa were called to gather at the Bidwell Rancho on Chico Creek to conclude a treaty of "peace and friendship" with O. M. Wozencraft, U. S. Indian agent. The treaty promised the Indians approximately 227 square miles of land reaching roughly from Chico to Nimshew to Oroville (page 20).

 For and on behalf of the To-to (WE-NO-KE) (page 21).

 Conflict of 1851-1863

Almost immediately after the Federal Treaty of 1851, the California State Senate appointed a committee to look into the treaties and the Governor decided to oppose any law that gave Indians exclusive right to foothill land that was high in gold bearing quartz or to valley land that was valuable to the settlers and farmers. One year later, 1852, the U.S. Senate secretly rejected all the treaties, but did not attempt to move Indians out of the state. Instead, they authorized a reservation at Nome Lackie, land lying twenty miles west of Tehama. McGowan states the reservation was authorized in 1853, opened in 1854 and received Indians from Marysville and Yuba City in 1855 (page 23).

 In Butte County in 1853, forty Indians died of pneumonia at a little rancheria near Cherokee. Cook estimated that there were twenty rancherias in Butte County in 1853 (page 23).

 John A. Clark, grandson of Captain Busche, chief of Konkau Indians (page 26).

 Nopanny 20 year old female day laborer listed in 1860 census for Chico Rancheria Indians, Chico Township (page 29).

 All the Indians in the hills were notified to be at the Bidwell Rancheria on August 28, 1863, to be taken to Round Valley Reservation at Covelo in Mendocino County. If any Indians were found after that date, they would be shot on sight. Agents collected 220 Indians from Yankee Hill, 30 from Oroville, 53 from Cherokee, 65 from Johnsons Ranch, 28 from Dogtown (Magalia), and 39 from Rock Creek for a total of 435 Indians with only 13 known exceptions. The 435 Indians were placed under Major Hooker's control in Chico as prisoners of war (page 36).

John Clark, descendant of a Konkau Chief (page 37).

 In a letter from George Hanson to Bidwell The Concow, Yankee Hill, and Oroville are all listed as separate tribes (page 39).

 Suwomine, the daughter of the Konkau headman had a Hawaiian husband, Keaala (page 39). A listing of Chico Rancheria Indians and their former tribal affiliation located on page 84. 8 people were listed as Maidu Konkau: Mary Azbill, Mrs. Frank Tom, Mrs. Jefferson, Ed Kern,Lady Sacona, Polly Slack, Amanda Wilson, and Sandy Wilson.

Filtering back to Butte County and Incidents, 1863-1868

By February 1864, some Indians had left Round Valley and returned to their former homes. (Concow Valley, Little Nimshew, Flea Valley) Keaala and Suwomine may have been in this group of Indians. They returned to his wife's Konkau village. About fifteen years later, Keaala's daughter, Mary Azbill asked and received permission from Bidwell to live on the Chico Rancheria (page 43).

 New conflicts between Indians and settlers began after Indians were reported returning from the Round Valley Reservation to the area of Magalia and Nimshew (page 43).

 Mrs. Amanda Wilson, a long time resident of Bidwell's rancheria, was interviewed by Voegelin in 1936 and reported that her mother and her maternal grandparents were of the Indian group in the vicinity of Oroville, and her father was white. Francis Densmore added other information about Amanda Wilson. She recorded that Amanda belonged to the Konkau triblet (probably the earlier location of her family) (page 25).

 Hill, Dorothy

1. Maidu Use of Native Flora and Fauna

 Fieldwork accomplished between 1967 and 1971. She obtained information from Henry Azbill, Lilly Baker, Bryan Beavers, Tom Epperson, Mary Wagner Jones, Frank Joseph, Bill Josephson, Bill Logan, Lena Martin, Selina Mullins, Clarence Potts, Rose Salem, Marie Bain Van Syckle, Edgar Wagner, and Herbert Young.