Читать книгу Lost Worlds of 1863. Relocation and Removal of American Indians in the Central Rockies and the Greater Southwest онлайн

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Davidson’s troops left Fort Tejon and traveled along the south fork of the Kern River through Walker Pass to Owens Lake. From there he journeyed north along the Owens River as far as Owens Gorge. From there he backtracked to Fort Tejon. The entire trip was more than 600 miles (see Figure 2.4). Davidson did not find any pilfered horses, so his venture was a failure in terms of recovering stolen property. Instead, he spent his time studying the land and its people. His glowing report described a peaceful people (“an inoffensive, gentle race”)³⁹ living in a Valley characterized by mild climate, fertile soil, and abundant water. He even proposed that the government set aside a major portion of the Valley as an Indian reservation. His favorable report probably facilitated the overrunning of the Valley by miners and settlers within a few years, which, in turn, led to clashes with the native population, and then, the establishment of Camp Independence in 1862.⁴⁰

ssss1 Route of Davidson Expedition (1859) Likely Followed by Owen’s Valley Paiutes in the Relocation of 1863. Reconfigured by Geraldine Raat from information found in Philip J. Wilkie and Harry W. Lawton, eds., The Expedition of Capt. J. W. Davidson from Fort Tejon to the Owens Valley in 1859, published in 1926 (Socorro, N.M.: Ballena Press).