page_title: O. M. Wozencraft
section_title: Death and legacy
hierarchical_section_title: O. M. Wozencraft / Death and legacy
caption_attribution_description: English: Exterior view of Amasa Lyman's home in San Bernardino, ca.1863. O. M. Wozencraft resided in the house when the image was captured.
context_page_description: Oliver M. Wozencraft was a prominent early American settler in California. He had substantial involvement in negotiating treaties between California Native American Indian tribes and the United States of America. Later, Wozencraft promoted a plan to provide irrigation to the Imperial Valley.
context_section_description: Wozencraft died of a heart attack on November 22, 1887 in a boardinghouse in Washington, D.C.  He had been in Washington to again present a Colorado Desert irrigation scheme bill to Congress.  Just prior to his death the bill had been killed in committee.  In committee the bill was described as a "fantastic folly of an old man".
  Work began on the Alamo Canal 13 years after Wozencraft's death, ultimately providing irrigation to the Imperial Valley in a manner similar to that first proposed by Wozencraft almost 50 years earlier.  He has been declared the "Father of the Imperial Valley."
  Modern evaluations of the treaties he negotiated with California Native Americans are critical:
  Taken all together, one cannot imagine a more poorly conceived, more inaccurate, less informed, and less democratic process than the making of the 18 treaties in 1851-52 with the California Indians. It was a farce from beginning to end.
  Nineteenth century evaluations are likewise scathing:
  There was a very general impression in the state, and apparently pretty well founded, that [Wozencraft, McKee and Barbour] knew little about the country and still less about the Indians; and that everything they did was a mistake and almost everything in excess of their powers. They appear to have traveled about in considerable style and at very great expense, but accomplished nothing of importance. They made presents and promises in abundance, but got nothing of value in return. None of their treaties were approved; and nearly all the debts they contracted were repudiated as unauthorized. The reservations they established were nearly, if not entirely, useless and very unpopular...
  Wozencraft is buried at the San Bernardino Pioneer Memorial Cemetery.
caption: The San Bernardino house of recalled Mormon Apostle Amasa Lyman was the residence of Wozencraft and his family in 1863.
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