Smoke Creek Band
Smoke Creek Sam's Indigenous name was Chief Saaba.[1] In 1860, Chief Saaba was for war, which resulted in the Paiute War.[2][3]
Sarah Winnemucca wrote that Omer C. Stewart suggested that the Smoke Creek band killed Demming. Sarah Winnemucca wrote that "Winnemucca exercised no authority beyond his relationship to the headman, reputedly a brother-in-law. Settlers drew no such distinctions. To them, Paiutes were Paiutes, and Winnemucca was responsible for all of them."
Note that there was another Smoke Creek Sam, which was a pseudonym for William V. Kingsbury who operated the Smoke Creek Station.
"Big Jim" was a member of the Smoke Creek Band who was killed in June 1860, it was thought that Big Jim had murdered Horace Adams in the Honey Lake Valley.[4][5][6]
The Smoke Creek Band was accused of stealing cattle, which led to the Battle of Mud Lake at Winnemucca Lake in March 1865.
Smoke Creek Jim was killed on February 15, 1866. His banner was taken as a prize by Whites, the banner was said to have been used by Jim to communicate with his warriors.[7] One soldier by the name of Austin was killed and 81 Paiutes killed.[8] Bancroft states that the battle occurred at "Rock Cañon" and that 115 Paiutes were killed.[9] A March 17, 1866 Humboldt Register article states that the "Loss to the enemy, 80 warriors and 35 squaws. The latter were dressed the same as the bucks, and were fighting - and had to be killed to ascertain their sex."[10]
Fairfield has a number of anecdotes about Smoke Creek Sam, stating that Smoke Creek Sam was responsible for attacks on Whites and that Chief Winnemucca had little control over Smoke Creek Sam. Smoke Creek Sam was killed in 1866 at Guano Valley in far northern Washoe County (today, Guano Valley is in Oregon).[11] Fairfield writes that Smoke Creek Sam was killed in 1866.[12]
An 1888 article describes a fight between two women, one of whom was backed by Smoke Creek Sam.[13]
References
- ↑ "Numa, a Northern Paíute History," 1976.
- ↑ "Sand In A Whirlwind," 30Th Anniversary Edition, Ferol Egan, 2016.
- ↑ "Paiute War," Wikipedia.
- ↑ "Letter from the Lander Expedition," Daily Alta California, Volume 12, Number 195, July 15, 1860.
- ↑ "Chase and Capture of an Indian Chief," Newspapers.com, Orleans Independent Standard (Irasburgh, Vermont), August 17, 1860, p. 2
- ↑ "Fairfield's Pioneer History of Lassen County, California," p. 224
- ↑ "An Aboriginal Banner," The Sacramento Bee, p. 3, June 25, 1866.
- ↑ "The Indian Battle in Surprise Valley—Eighty-one Killed," Daily Alta California, Volume 18, Number 5851, 18 March 1866.
- ↑ "History of Nevada, Colorado, and Wyoming, 1540-1888," Hubert Howe Bancroft, pp. 220-221, 1890.
- ↑ "Another Gallant Fight with Indians," Humboldt Register, March 17, 1866.
- ↑ "Fairfield's Pioneer History of Lassen County, California," p. 393
- ↑ "Fairfield's Pioneer History of Lassen County, California," p. 393
- ↑ "Savage Amusement," The Silver State, Unionville, Nevada, March 2, 1888, page 3.