List of Indian massacres


In the history of the European colonization of the Americas, an atrocity termed "Indian massacre" is a specific incident wherein a group of people deliberately kill a significant number of relatively defenseless people — usually civilian noncombatants — or to the summary execution of prisoners-of-war. The term may refer to either the killing of people of European descent by Native Americans and First Nations or to the killing of Native American and First Nation peoples by people of European descent and/or the military.

Overview

"Indian massacre" is a phrase whose use and definition has evolved and expanded over time. The phrase was initially used by European colonists to describe attacks by indigenous Americans which resulted in mass colonial casualties. While similar attacks by colonists on Indian villages were called "raids" or "battles", successful Indian attacks on white settlements or military posts were routinely termed "massacres". Knowing very little about the native inhabitants of the American frontier, the colonists were deeply fearful, and often, European Americans who had rarely – or never – seen a Native American read Indian atrocity stories in popular literature and newspapers. Emphasis was placed on the depredations of "murderous savages" in their information about Indians, and as the migrants headed further west, they frequently feared the Indians they would encounter.
The phrase eventually became commonly used also to describe mass killings of American Indians. Killings described as "massacres" often had an element of indiscriminate targeting, barbarism, or genocidal intent. According to one historian, "Any discussion of genocide must, of course, eventually consider the so-called Indian Wars", the term commonly used for U.S. Army campaigns to subjugate Indian nations of the American West beginning in the 1860s. In an older historiography, key events in this history were narrated as battles.
Since the late 20th century, it has become more common for scholars to refer to certain of these events as massacres, especially if there were large numbers of women and children as victims. This includes the Colorado territorial militia's slaughter of Cheyenne at Sand Creek, and the US army's slaughter of Shoshone at Bear River, Blackfeet on the Marias River, and Lakota at Wounded Knee. Some scholars have begun referring to these events as "genocidal massacres," defined as the annihilation of a portion of a larger group, sometimes to provide a lesson to the larger group.
It is difficult to determine the total number of people who died as a result of "Indian massacres". In The Wild Frontier: Atrocities during the American-Indian War from Jamestown Colony to Wounded Knee, lawyer William M. Osborn compiled a list of alleged and actual atrocities in what would eventually become the continental United States, from first contact in 1511 until 1890. His parameters for inclusion included the intentional and indiscriminate murder, torture, or mutilation of civilians, the wounded, and prisoners. His list included 7,193 people who died from atrocities perpetrated by those of European descent, and 9,156 people who died from atrocities perpetrated by Native Americans.
In An American Genocide, The United States and the California Catastrophe, 1846–1873, historian Benjamin Madley recorded the numbers of killings of California Indians between 1846 and 1873. He found evidence that during this period, at least 9,400 to 16,000 California Indians were killed by non-Indians. Most of these killings occurred in what he said were more than 370 massacres.

List of massacres

This is a listing of some of the events reported then or referred to now as "Indian massacre". This list contains only incidents that occurred in Canada or the United States, or territory presently part of the United States.

Pre-Columbian era

1500–1830

1830–1911

YearDateNameCurrent locationDescriptionReported casualtiesClaimants
1832May 20Indian Creek MassacreIllinoisA party of Potawatomi, with a few Sauk allies, killed fifteen men, women and children and kidnapped two young women, who were later ransomed.15
1832August 1Battle of Bad AxeWisconsinSoldiers under General Henry Atkinson, armed volunteers and Dakota Sioux killed around 150 Fox and Sauk men, women and children near present-day Victory, Wisconsin. The US suffered 5 dead.150
1833Exact date unknownCutthroat Gap MassacreOklahomaThe Osage tribe attacked a Kiowa camp west of the Wichita Mountains in southwest Oklahoma, killing 150 Kiowa Indians.150
1836May 19Fort Parker MassacreTexasComanche killed seven European Americans in Limestone County, Texas. The five captured included Cynthia Ann Parker.7
1837Amador MassacreCaliforniaMexican colonists under Jose Maria Amador captured an entire rancheria of friendly Miwok Indians in Northern California and killed their 200 prisoners in two mass executions.200
1837April 22Johnson MassacreNew MexicoAt least 20 Apaches were killed near Santa Rita del Cobre, New Mexico while trading with a group of American settlers led by John Johnson. The Anglos blasted the Apaches with a cannon loaded with musket balls, nails and pieces of glass and finished off the wounded.20
1838October 5Killough MassacreTexasA party of Cherokee massacred eighteen members and relatives of the Killough family in Texas.18
1838 or 1839Exact date unknownWebster MassacreTexasThe Comanche killed a party of settlers attempting to ford the Bushy Creek near present-day Leander, Texas. All of the Anglo men were killed and Mrs. Webster and her two children were captured.13 Texans, est. 15+ Comanche
1840March 19Council House MassacreTexasThe 12 leaders of a Comanche delegation were shot in San Antonio, Texas, while trying to escape the local jail. 23 others including 5 women and children were killed in or around the city. 65 Comanche including 35 women and children were present. 7 Texas militia were also killed at the court house mostly from friendly fire. 13 captives were killed in retaliation by the Comanche.35 + 13
1840August 7Indian Key MassacreFloridaDuring the Seminole Wars, Spanish-speaking Indians attacked and destroyed an Indian Key settlement, killing 13 inhabitants, including noted horticulturist Dr. Henry Perrine.13
1840October 24Red Fork of the Colorado RiverTexasVolunteer Rangers under Colonel Moore massacred 140 Comanches in their village on the Colorado and captured 35 others.140
1840Exact date unknownClear Lake MassacreCaliforniaA posse led by Mexican Salvador Vallejo massacred 150 Pomo and Wappo Indians on Clear Lake, California.150
1846April 6Sacramento River massacreCaliforniaCaptain Frémont's men attacked a band of Indians on the Sacramento River in California, killing between 120 and 200 Indians.120–200
1846May 12Klamath Lake massacreCaliforniaCaptain Frémont's men, led by Kit Carson attacked a village of Klamaths on the banks of Klamath Lake, killing at least 14 Klamath people.14+
1846JuneSutter Buttes massacreCaliforniaCaptain Frémont's men attacked a rancheria on the banks of the Sacramento River near Sutter Buttes, killing several Patwin people.14+
1846DecemberPauma massacreCalifornia11 Californios were killed by Indians at Escondido, California, leading to the Temecula massacre.11
1846DecemberTemecula massacreCalifornia33 to 40 Indians killed in revenge for the Pauma Massacre at Escondido, California.33–40
1847February 3–4Storming of Pueblo de TaosNew MexicoIn response to a New Mexican-instigated uprising in Taos, American troops attacked the heavily fortified Pueblo of Taos with artillery, killing nearly 150 rebels, some being Indians. Between 25 and 30 prisoners were shot by firing squads.25–30
1847MarchRancheria Tulea massacreCaliforniaWhite slavers retaliate to a slave escape by massacring five Indians in Rancheria Tulea.5
1847March 29Kern and Sutter massacresCaliforniaIn response to a plea from White settlers to put an end to raids, U.S. Army Captain Edward Kern and rancher John Sutter led 50 men in attacks on three Indian villages.20
1847late June/early JulyKonkow Maidu slaver massacreCaliforniaSlavers kill 12–20 Konkow Maidu Indians in the process of capturing 30 members of the tribe for the purpose of forced slavery.12–20
1847November 29Whitman massacreWashingtonCayuse and Umatilla warriors killed the missionaries Dr. Marcus Whitman, Mrs. Narcissa Whitman and 12 others at Walla Walla, Washington, in retaliation for the belief that Whitmans were responsible for the deaths of 200 natives from measles, triggering the Cayuse War. Subsequently the U.S hanged 5 Cayuse, including the Waiilatpu Leader Tiloukaikt.14
1848AprilBrazos RiverTexasA hunting party of 26 friendly Wichita and Caddo Indians was massacred by Texas Rangers under Captain Samuel Highsmithe, in a valley south of Brazos River. 25 men and boys were killed, and only one child managed to escape.26
1849March 5Battle Creek massacreUtahIn response to some cattle being stolen, Governor Brigham Young sent members of the Mormon militia to "put a final end to their depredations". They were led to a band, where they attacked them, killing the men and taking the women and children as captives.4
1850Feb 8Battle at Fort UtahUtahGovernor Brigham Young issued a partial extermination order of the Timpanogos who lived in Utah Valley. In the north, the Timpanogos were fortified. However, in the south, the Mormon militia told them they were friendly before lining them up to execute them. Dozens of women and children were enslaved and taken to Salt Lake City, Utah, where many died.102 + "many" in captivity
1850May 15Bloody Island MassacreCaliforniaNathaniel Lyon and his U.S. Army detachment of cavalry killed 60–100 Pomo people on Bo-no-po-ti island near Clear Lake, ; they believed the Pomo had killed two Clear Lake settlers who had been abusing and murdering Pomo people.. This incident led to a general outbreak of settler attacks against and mass killing of native people all over Northern California. Site is California Registered Historical Landmark #42760–100
1851January 11Mariposa WarCaliforniaThe gold rush increased pressure on the Native Americans of California, because miners forced Native Americans off their gold-rich lands. Many were pressed into service in the mines; others had their villages raided by the army and volunteer militia. Some Native American tribes fought back, beginning with the Ahwahneechees and the Chowchilla in the Sierra Nevada and San Joaquin Valley leading a raid on the Fresno River post of James D. Savage, in December 1850. In retaliation Mariposa County Sheriff James Burney led local militia in an indecisive clash with the natives on January 11, 1851 on a mountainside near present-day Oakhurst, California.40+
1851MarchOatman MassacreArizonaRoyce Oatman's emigrant party of 7 was killed by Mohave or Yavapai Indians. The survivors, Olive and Mary Ann Oatman were enslaved. Olive escaped five years later and spoke extensively about the experience.7
1851Old Shasta TownCaliforniaMiners killed 300 Wintu Indians near Old Shasta, California and burned down their tribal council meeting house.300
1852Hynes Bay MassacreTexasTexas militiamen attacked a village of 50 Karankawas, killing 45 of them.45
1852April 23Bridge Gulch MassacreCalifornia70 American men led by Trinity County sheriff William H. Dixon killed more than 150 Wintu people in the Hayfork Valley of California, in retaliation for the killing of Col. John Anderson.150
1852NovemberWright MassacreCaliforniaWhite settlers led by a notorious Indian hunter named Ben Wright massacred 41 Modocs during a "peace parley".41
1853Howonquet MassacreCaliforniaCalifornian settlers attacked and burned the Tolowa village of Howonquet, massacring 70 people.70
1853Yontoket MassacreCaliforniaA posse of settlers attacked and burned a Tolowa rancheria at Yontocket, California, killing 450 Tolowa during a prayer ceremony.450
1853Achulet MassacreCaliforniaWhite settlers launched an attack on a Tolowa village near Lake Earl in California, killing between 65 and 150 Indians at dawn.65–150
1853Before December 31"Ox" incidentCaliforniaU.S. forces attacked and killed an unreported number of Indians in the Four Creeks area in what was referred to by officers as "our little difficulty" and "the chastisement they have received".-
1854January 28Nasomah MassacreOregon40 white settlers attacked the sleeping village of the Nasomah Indians at the mouth of the Coquille River in Oregon, killing 15 men and 1 woman.16
1854February 15Chetco River MassacreOregonNine white settlers attacked a friendly Indian village on the Chetco River in Oregon, massacring 26 men and a few women. Most of the Indians were shot while trying to escape. Two Chetco who tried to resist with bows and arrows were burned alive in their houses. Shortly before the attack, the Chetco had been induced to give away their weapons as "friendly relations were firmly established".36+
1854May 15Asbill MassacreMissouriSix white settlers from Missouri attacked previously uncontacted Indians in the Round Valley, massacring approximately 40 of them.40
1854August 20Ward MassacreIdahoShoshone killed 18 of the 20 members of the Alexander Ward party, attacking them on the Oregon Trail in western Idaho. This event led the U.S. eventually to abandon Fort Boise and Fort Hall, in favor of the use of military escorts for emigrant wagon trains.18
1854Dec 25Fort Pueblo MassacreColorado16 settlers were killed by Utah & Apache16
1855January 22Klamath River massacresCaliforniaIn retaliation for the murder of six settlers and the theft of some cattle, whites commenced a "war of extermination against the Indians" in Humboldt County, California.-
1855September 2Harney MassacreNebraskaUS troops under Brigadier General William S. Harney killed 86 Sioux, men, women and children at Blue Water Creek, in present-day Nebraska. 27 US soldiers also died in the skirmish. About 70 women and children were taken prisoner. Women and children accounted for about half of the Sioux deaths.86
1855October 8Lupton MassacreOregonA group of settlers and miners launched a night attack on an Indian village near Upper Table Rock, Oregon, killing 23 Indians.23
1855December 23Little Butte CreekOregonOregon volunteers launched a dawn attack on a Tututni and Takelma camp on the Rogue River. Between 19 and 26 Indians were killed.19–26
1856JuneGrande Ronde River Valley MassacreOregonWashington Territorial Volunteers under Colonel Benjamin Shaw attacked a peaceful Cayuse and Walla Walla Indians on the Grande Ronde River in Oregon. 60 Indians, mostly women, old men and children were killed.60
1856MarchShingletownCaliforniaIn reprisal for Indian stock theft, white settlers massacred at least 20 Yana men, women and children near Shingletown, California.20
1856March 26Cascades MassacreOregon/WashingtonYakama, Klickitat and Cascades warriors attacked white soldiers and settlers at the Cascades of the Columbia River for controlling portage of the river and denying them their source of nutrition. Nine Cascades Indians who surrendered without a fight, including Chenoweth, Chief of the Hood River Band, were improperly charged and executed.17
1857Mar 8–12Spirit Lake MassacreIowaThirty-five to 40 settlers were killed and 4 taken captive by Santee Sioux in the last Indian attack on settlers in Iowa.35–40
1857Sep 7-11Mountain Meadows MassacreUtahBetween 14 and 200 Paiutes participate in an attack staged by the Mormon Militia against the Baker-Fancher wagon train from Arkansas. The Mormons of the area erroneously feared that the settlers were part of a plot by the US Army to invade Utah. The settlers surrender after a few days but are subsequently massacred by members of the Militia who suspected that the settlers had recognized that some of the attackers were non-Indians in disguise.120 to 140 settlers killed. 17 younger children were passed out to local families, later repatriated to their families back in Arkansas.-
1856–1859Round Valley Settler MassacresCaliforniaWhite settlers killed over a thousand Yuki Indians in Round Valley over the course of three years in an uncountable number of separate massacres.1000+
1858Aug 9–17Fraser Canyon WarBritish ColumbiaSettlers killed dozens of Nlaka’pamux non-combatants and burned five villages.36+
1859–1860Jarboe's WarCaliforniaWhite settlers calling themselves the "Eel River Rangers", led by Walter Jarboe, kill at least 283 Indian men and countless women and children in 23 engagements over the course of six months. They are reimbursed by the U.S. government for their campaign.283+
1859SeptemberPit RiverCaliforniaWhite settlers massacred 70 Achomawi Indians in their village on Pit River in California.70
1859Chico CreekCaliforniaWhite settlers attacked a Maidu camp near Chico Creek in California, killing indiscriminately 40 Indians.40
1860Exact date unknownMassacre at Bloody RockCaliforniaA group of 65 Yuki Indians were surrounded and massacred by white settlers at Bloody Rock, in Mendocino County, California.65
1860February 26Indian Island MassacreCaliforniaIn three nearly simultaneous assaults on the Wiyot, at Indian Island, Eureka, Rio Dell, and near Hydesville, California white settlers killed between 80 and 250 Wiyot in Humboldt County, California. Victims were mostly women, children and elders, as reported by Bret Harte at Arcata newspaper. Other villages massacred within two days. The main site is National Register of Historic Places in the United States #66000208.80–250
1860December 18Battle of Pease RiverTexasTexas Rangers under Captain Sul Ross attacked a Comanche village in Foard County, Texas, killing at least 14 unarmed people.14
1860September 8Otter MassacreIdahoNear Sinker Creek Idaho, 11 persons of the last wagon train of the year were killed by Indians and several others were subsequently killed. Some that escaped the initial massacre starved to death11+
1861Horse Canyon MassacreCaliforniaWhite settlers and Indian allies attacked a Wailaki village in Horse Canyon, killing up to 240 Wailakis.240
1861Cookes Canyon MassacresNew MexicoApaches massacred hundreds of Americans and Mexicans in and around Cookes Canyon, New Mexico over the course of several months.Hundreds
1861September 21Fort Fauntleroy MassacreNew MexicoSoldiers massacred between 12 and 20 Navajos at Fort Fauntleroy, following a dispute over a horse race.12–20
1862Upper Station MassacreCaliforniaCalifornia settlers killed at least 20 Wailakis in Round Valley, California.20
1862Big Antelope Creek MassacreCaliforniaCalifornia settlers led by notorious Indian hunter Hi Good launched a dawn attack on a Yana village, massacring about 25 Indians.25
1862AugustKowonk MassacreCaliforniaA posse of 25 California settlers killed 45 Konkow Indians on their reservation in Round Valley, California.45
1862August–SeptemberDakota War of 1862MinnesotaAs part of the U.S.-Dakota War, the Sioux killed as many as 800 white settlers and soldiers throughout Minnesota. Some 40,000 white settlers fled their homes on the frontier.450–800
1862OctoberMassacre at Gallinas SpringsNew MexicoSoldiers under Capt. James Graydon's shot an aged Mescalero leader who was approaching with his hand up as a sign of peace. 11 other Mescaleros were also killed, including a woman.12
1862October 24Tonkawa MassacreOklahomaDuring the U.S. Civil War, a detachment of irregular Union Indians, mainly Kickapoo, Lenape and Shawnee, accompanied by Caddo allies, attempted to destroy the Tonkawa tribe in Indian Territory. They killed 240 of 390 Tonkawa, leaving only 150 survivors.240
1863January 29Bear River MassacreIdahoCol. Patrick Connor led a United States Army regiment killing up to 280 Shoshone men, women and children near Preston, Idaho. 21 US soldiers were also killed in the fight.246–280
1863April 19Keyesville MassacreCaliforniaAmerican militia and members of the California cavalry, under the command of Captain Moses A. McLaughlin, killed 35 Tübatulabal men in Kern County, California.35
1863–1865Mowry massacresArizona16 settlers were killed in a series of Indian raids at Mowry, Arizona Territory16
1864CottonwoodCalifornia20 Yanas of both sexes were killed by white settlers in the town of Cottonwood, California.20
1864Massacre at Bloody TanksArizonaA group of white settlers led by King S. Woolsey killed 19 Apaches at a "peace parley".19
1864Oak Run MassacreCaliforniaCalifornia settlers massacred 300 Yana Indians who had gathered near the head of Oak Run, California for a spiritual ceremony.300
1864Skull Valley MassacreArizonaA group of Yavapai families was lured into a trap and massacred by soldiers under Lt. Monteith in a valley west of Prescott, Arizona. The place was named Skull Valley after the heads of the dead Indians left unburied.-
1864November 29Sand Creek MassacreColoradoMembers of the Colorado Militia attacked a peaceful village of Cheyenne, killing up to 163 men, women and children at Sand Creek in Kiowa County.70–163
1865March 14Mud Lake MassacreNevadaUS troops under Captain Wells attacked a Paiute camp near Winnemucca Lake, killing 32 Indians. One soldier was slightly wounded during the attack.32
1865July 18The Squaw Fight/The Grass Valley MassacreUtahWhile searching for Antonga Black Hawk, the Mormon militia came upon a band of Ute Indians. Thinking they were part of Black Hawk's band, they attacked them. They killed 10 men and took the women and children captive. After the women and children tried to escape, the militia shot them too.10 men + unknown women and children
1865Owens Lake MassacreCaliforniaFollowing the murder of Mrs. McGuire and her son at Haiwai_Meadows, White vigilantes tracked the attackers from the meadows to a Paiute camp on Owens Lake in California. They attacked it killing about 40 men, women and children.40
1865Three Knolls MassacreCaliforniaWhite settlers massacred a Yana community at Three Knolls on the Mill Creek, California.-
1865SeptemberBloody Point MassacreOregonA wagon train of 65 settlers was massacred by Modoc Indians near Lake Tule in Oregon. One man survived and alerted the Oregon militia who buried the bodies.65
1866April 21Circleville MassacreUtahMormon militiamen killed 16 Paiute men and women at Circleville, Utah. 6 men were shot, allegedly while trying to escape. The others had their throats cut. 4 small children were spared.16
1867Aquarius MountainsArizonaYavapai County Rangers killed 23 Indians in the southern Aquarius Mountains, Arizona.23
1868Campo SecoCaliforniaA posse of white settlers massacred 33 Yahis in a cave north of Mill Creek, California.33
1868September 24Massacre at La PazArizonaA group of teamsters attacked a sleeping Yavapai camp in the outskirts of La Paz, Arizona, killing 15 Indians.15
1868November 27Washita Massacre
OklahomaDuring the American Indian Wars, Lt. Col. G.A.Custer's 7th U.S. Cavalry attacked a village of sleeping Cheyenne led by Black Kettle. Custer reported 103 – later revised to 140 – warriors, "some" women and "few" children killed, and 53 women and children taken hostage. Other casualty estimates by cavalry members, scouts and Indians vary widely, with the number of men killed ranging as low as 11 and the numbers of women and children ranging as high as 75 and as low as 17. Before returning to their base, the cavalry killed several hundred Indian ponies and burned the village. 21 US soldiers were also killed.17–75
1870January 23Marias MassacreMontanaUS troops killed 173 Piegan, mainly women, children and the elderly after being led to the wrong camp by a soldier who wanted to protect his Indian wife's family.173–217
1871Kingsley Cave MassacreCalifornia4 settlers killed 30 Yahi Indians in Tehama County, California about two miles from Wild Horse Corral in the Ishi Wilderness. It is estimated that this massacre left only 15 members of the Yahi tribe alive30
1871April 30Camp Grant MassacreArizonaLed by the ex-Mayor of Tucson, William Oury, eight Americans, 48 Mexicans and more than 100 allied Pima attacked Apache men, women and children at Camp Grant, Arizona Territory killing 144, with 1 survivor at scene and 29 children sold to slavery. All but eight of the dead were Apache women or children.144
1871November 5Wickenburg massacreArizonaIndians attacked an Arizona stagecoach, killing the driver and his five passengers, leaving two wounded survivors.6
1872December 28Skeleton Cave MassacreArizonaU.S. troops and Indian scouts killed 76 Yavapai Indians men, women and children in a remote cave in Arizona's Salt River Canyon.76
1873June 1Cypress Hills MassacreSaskatchewanFollowing a dispute over stolen horses, American wolfers killed approximately 20 Nakoda in Saskatchewan.20
1875AprilSappa Creek MassacreKansasSoldiers under Lt Austin Henly trapped a group of 27 Cheyenne, on the Sappa Creek, in Kansas and killed them all.27
1877August 8Battle of the Big HoleMontanaUS troops under Colonel John Gibbon attacked a Nez Perce village at Big Hole, in Montana Territory. They killed 70 to 90 including 33 warriors before being repulsed by the Indians. 31 US soldiers were killed.70–90
1879January 9–21Fort Robinson MassacreNebraskaNorthern Cheyenne under Dull Knife attempted to escape from confinement in Fort Robinson, Nebraska; U.S. Army forces hunted them down, killing between 32 and 77 of them including at least 14 women and children. The remains of those killed were repatriated in 1994. 12 U.S. soldiers were also killed.32–77
1879September 30Meeker MassacreColoradoIn the beginning of the Ute War, the Ute killed the US Indian Agent Nathan Meeker and 10 others. They also attacked a military unit, killing 13 and wounding 43.11
1880April 28Alma MassacreNew MexicoThe Apache chief Victorio led warriors in an attack on settlers at Alma, New Mexico. On December 19, 1885, the Apache killed an officer and four enlisted men of the 8th Cavalry Regiment near Alma.35–41
1890December 10Buffalo Gap MassacreSouth DakotaSeveral wagonloads of Sioux were killed by South Dakota Home Guard militiamen near French Creek, South Dakota, while visiting a white friend in Buffalo Gap.-
1890DecemberStrongholdSouth DakotaSouth Dakota Home Guard militiamen ambushed and massacred 75 Sioux at the Stronghold, in the northern portion of Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.75
1890December 29Wounded Knee MassacreSouth DakotaMembers of the U.S. 7th Cavalry attacked and killed between 130 and 250 Sioux men, women and children at Wounded Knee, South Dakota.130–250
1911January 19Last MassacreNevadaA group of Shoshone killed four ranchers in Washoe County, Nevada. On February 26, 1911, an American posse killed eight of the Shoshone suspects and captured four children from the band.5 + 8