Odd, Old News: Petrolia’s Ocean House Hotel is Delightfully Described

Our family has a place up Bear River – west of the Chase Ranch and east of the Morrison Sisters. We’re 198 acres in the middle of the Russ’ 7500 acre Forest Home Ranch ;-). Does anyone have any info on Shoofly Harry or Henry Luce -that homesteaded our ranch in 1856? Just curious. Our Uncle Vern Moore came from West Virginia and bought it from Shoofly in the 1920’s, I think.

Mendo Historian, you are usually more on your game than this…. there is no record whatsoever that troops out of Ft. Bragg ever entered the Mattole or Bear River region. Whatever massacres happened to those tribes were perpetrated by local ranchers and California volunteer units based out of Ft. Humboldt, and Camp Grant. Miltary units out of Ft. Bragg did come up the coast as far as Shelter Cove, and others operated in the Eel River area. No matter the details of who did it, the outcome was horrific for the Native Americans of those regions.

Headquarters Humboldt Military District, Fort Humboldt, May 29, 1863.
Colonel : I have the honor to report that Captain Hull, with twenty men of Company D, Second Infantry California Volunteers, proceeded on the 3d instant from Fort Bragg in pursuit of a band of hostile Indians who had been committing depredations on the coast; that on the 9th instant, with a detachment of eight men, he came up with them near Shelter Cove, and out of some thirty-five or forty killed 4 and wounded 3 too severely to be carried away, bringing in 1 boy and 5
squaws a8 prisoners, who were delivered over to the supervisor on the Mendocino Reservation. In consequence of the representations of some of the inhabitants of the outskirts of Areata, instead of bringing Com pany I to this post I have halted it at Camp Curtis, near that place, where it is now stationed. To embark that company and the one at Fort Humboldt twenty-four hours’ notice would suffice, but to embark 190 OPERATIONS ON THE PACIFIC COAST. [Chap. LXU.
tlie companies at Fort Gaston and Fort Baker (Captain Morton’s and Captain Flynu’s) four days’ notice at least would be required. The supply of the companies of mountaineers will employ all, or nearly all, the pack-mules at tliis post. The distance to Captain Douglas’ com mand in Bound Valley is 150 miles. If it is to be supplied from this post nearly the whole, perhaps quite the whole, of the transportation will have to be hired. If it is intended that 1 shall forward supplies thither, I request am instruction to that effect by the next steamer. 1 have the honor to be, very respectfully, vour obedient servant, FRANCIS J. LIPPITT, Col. Second Infantry California Vols., Comilg. Humboldt Mil. Dist.
Lieut. Col. R. C. Drum, Assistant Adjutant- General, Department of the Pacific.
[First indorsement.]
Headquarters Department of the Pacific, June 3, 18G3.
Respectfully referred to Lieutenant Colonel Babbitt for his opinion in reference to supplying Camp Wright (Bound Valley). By order :
R. C. DRUM, Assistant Adjutan t- General.
[Second indorsement.]
Deputy Quartermaster-General’s Office, San Francisco, June 3, 1803. Lieutenant-Colonel Drum, Assistant Adjutant General, Present:
Camp Wright has hitherto been furnished via Fort Bragg, from which latter post it is distant sixty-five miles. 1 know of no more eli gible route. They have forty-nine pack-mules and trappings and one wagon at Camp Wright. Respectfully, E. B. BABBITT, ‘ Deputy Quartermaster-General.

No. 5.
Report of Lieut. Charles G. Hubbard, Second California Infantry.
Upper Mattole, Camp Olney, June 20, 1862.
Sir : I have the honor to report that in pursuance of Special Orders, No. 65, with a detachment of fifteen men from Company A, Second Infantry California Volunteers, I marched from Camp Swasey on the 31st day of May, and arrived at my present camp on Mattole River on the 5th day of June, 1862, stopping one day in Lower Mattole for rest, and to ascertain the most eligible position for me to operate from in order to fully carry out the scope and intentions of the order above referred to, and the letter of instructions accompanying the same. My present camp was selected by me after duo consultation with those appearing to me to bo best acquainted with this valley, and, from care ful examination and extended scouts, I am satisfied that my present location is the very best that could have been selected for the present, being convenient to Kushka and the coast, Lower Mattole, and the country on Bull Creek, South Fork of Eel River, and Eel River. The day after my arrival at this camp, I started with twelve men of my command and seven citizens, with ten days’ rations, to scout and pur sue the band of Indians who have heretofore been committing most of the depredations in this neighborhood, and on the 7th of June, about 7.30 p. in., with a portion of the command, were successful in discov ering and attacking a ranch of Indians on a small branch of the Mattole River, about twenty miles southerly from camp, and in an almost inaccessible canon, the rauch containing about twenty Indians, large and small, killing 4 Indians, and mortally wounding 1 buck aud 1 squaw, and taking prisoners 3 squaws, 2 children, and 1 boy about twelve years of age, the balance escaping in the darkness. Unfortu nately they were discovered too late in the day to capture the largest portion of the band, some ten bucks and as many squaws having left for Eel River a few hours before; among those killed being an Indian Darned Joe, the murderer of Mr. Wise, who was killed last fall in this valley, taking from his person a Colt revolver, recognized as the prop- erty of one of the citizens of this valley, and another of the killed, an Indian named Jim, who was a leader in the robberies of Messrs. Porter’s and Aldrich’s houses, and described as one of the most vicious charac ters of *he gang of Indian thieves who infest this valley; the boy no risoner being the one who robbed Mr. Brizentine a short time ago of two guns and two pistols, ammunition, &c, he having been domes ticated up to that time, a reward of $100 is offered for his scalp, and it is only by the closest attention that I can prevent his being shot down even iii camp—killing, mortally wounding, and capturing all the bucks in the ranch at the time, and all of them having been active par ticipants in the robberies lately committed; finding also in their ranch a coat and other property, including a Government overcoat and an ax, recognized as the property of Messrs. Porter, Aldrich, and others, and discovering also in another ranch (deserted) a double-barreled shotgun which had been hid by the Indians. Mr. Langdon’s house, and also the house of Mr. West, in Lower Mattole, it is reported, have been robbed merely of guns, everything else being untouched. If it is so, it is by a
roving band of some five or six Indians, who are now doing most of the damage in this immediate vicinity, and looking for arms and ammuni tion ; but their known and outspoken sympathy for the Indians leads nie to believe that the public charges against them that they are furnishing arms, ammunition, and subsistence to the Indians may, to a certain extent, be true, and that the Indians, if they obtained their guns, did it by collusion with them. At any rate, I shall believe such to be the case until I have more positive information to the contrary. So far as I can ascertain, all the Indians in this portion of the country are hostile; in fact, will ever be so, so long as there are no active and vigorous steps taken to put an end to cold-blooded murder, kidnaping, and treachery. These are in my opinion the sole causes of all these difficulties with the Indians, more especially in this portion of the country and on Eel River. Cold-blooded Indian killing being considered honorable, shooting Indians and murdering even squaws and children that have been domesticated for months and years, without a moment’s warning, and with as little compunction as they would rid themselves of a dog, and, as I am informed, one man did, beating his own child’s brains out against a tree and killing the squaw, its mother, for no other reason than that he had no means else of disposing of them, and to keep them from falling into other persons’ hands. Human life is of no value in this valley, and law seems only to be respected so far as it is backed by visible force. It is well known that kidnaping is extensively practiced by a gang who live in the neighboring mountains, but the difficulty is to obtain absolute and positive proof, so as to insure a conviction under the statute of this State, which, as if not sufficient of itself as a crime, is coupled with other barbarities, murder, rape, &c., which no pen can do justice to. If the Indians are hostile they will always be so until some stringent measures are taken to protect them, and to wipe out the per petrators of these most horrible crimes against humanity. With such examples before them going unpunished what guaranties from the Government can they depend upon? I send to Fort Humboldt seven Indians, among them a young Indian girl, taken by me from one supposed to be an Indian stealer, she being found by him, as he says, wandering in the mountains. She was stolen by the Indians from Mr. Langdon when his house was robbed. I have also with me a squaw and child, taken from Mr. Pritchard, an old man living near my camp with his wife and two young daughters, he keep ing the squaw and being, as he has generally and publicly held out, the father of the child. The squaw, however, was taken by me on suspi cion of furnishing information, arms, and ammunition to the Indians, she having also been in the mountains under suspicious circumstances for a number of days and against my positive instructions to Mr Pritchard. Explicit instructions for my guidance in such cases would greatly assist me and settle questions which are becoming rather embarrassing to me. As a general thing I am pleased to say the citi zens of Upper Mattole have rendered me all tbe assistance in their power, accompanying me on each scout, acting as faithful and efficient guides, furnishing me with such transportation as they had. Messrs. Tewksberry, Brown, Pritchard, Lafferty, Mann, and others, being con stantly with me and furnishing ine with useful information, and it is now suggested by them that with the two Indian guides now at Port Humboldt, named Joe and Charley, who acted as guides for the citi zens last fall, we would be very likely to be successful in getting in many of the Indians voluntarily. With ample assurances reaching the Indians in such a way as to claim their confidence, I believe much can be done, and it is believed that with those two Indians much could be accomplished. The detachment from Company A, Second Infantry California Volunteers, now with me, I cannot but speak of in the highest terms of praise for their promptness, obedience, energy, and endurance; in fact, exhibiting thus far every soldierly quality, and under many trying circumstances for beginners, bearing up without murmur and with great cheerfulness, I have no fault to find Jind believe that there can be no better men in the regiment. This section is, in my opinion, the finest field in the whole district for operations against the Indians, and which can be most successfully carried out from this direction, but in order to do so, a detachment should always be kept in the field of at least fifteen men. Plenty of occupation can be found for a whole company, with which the Indians, if not captured en masse, would be so hemmed in as either to be picked up in detail by Captain Ketchain, Lieutenant Staples, or the command from this direc tion, surrender at discretion, or be driven into the sea; escape would be impossible. If driven in from the coast by different detachments from the coast at the same time (as can easily be done) and met from the Eel River direction by other detachments, the nature of the country is such that in my opinion immense success would be inevitable, and this is based upon personal acquaintance and examination of the country, both on Eel River and on the coast. This valley and its vicinity has always been the back door to let the Indians out from Eel River when hard pressed from that direction; but with so small a command and scarcity of transportation scouts as a matter of necessity are both in time and number limited, and of doubtful success. I would call atten tion to the necessity of prompt and early supply of rations, which should be so arranged as to arrive at least ten days before the previous supply is supposed to be exhausted, in order to provide against contin gencies, such as having prisoners to provide for, as I have had from the 7th of this month, cutting our rations down to such an extent that we are now without a pound of fiour, coffee—in fact, everything except rice. I would also call attention to the fact that there are no means of communication with Fort Humboldt, except by the trains arriving here with provisions, or by chance some citizen. One express per week would be a vast accommodation, so that communication could be had with headquarters if necessary. I remain, your most obedient servant, CHARLES G. HUBBARD, First Lieut., Second Infantry California Vols., Comdg. Detachment.
Col. Francis J. Lippitt, Commanding Humboldt Military District.

Sir: I have the honor to report the operations of this command during the previous fifteen days: June 1, Lieutenant Taylor, Sixth California Volunteer Infantry, was sent with twenty-live men of Company E, with instructions to select a
suitable place near the Upper Crossing of Mad River and there erect a small block house. This point has been much frequented by Indians, and they have given much trouble to people traveling that route over the mountains. Large droves of stock pass over this trail during this season of the year, and it is necessary to have a force sufficient for escorts and protection. On the same day, in accordance with instruc tions from the commander of the district, ten men and two corporals were sent to Light-House Point, near Fort Humboldt, to guard Indian prisoners there. June 2, four men were detached to guard Harris’ ranch, four miles southeast of this post, for the protection of forage belonging to the quartermaster of this post. On the 6th Lieutenant Geer, of the Battalion of Mountaineers, with a detachment of twelve men was sent to meet a party of Indians (Redwoods) who were said to be anxious to deliver themselves up. The object was effected as far as shown by his report, and the detachment returned on the 14th instant to this post. I have the honor to inclose the reports of Lieutenants Geer and Taylor. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, THOS. F. WRIGHT, Major Sixth California Volunteer Infantry, Commanding Post.