Squatters ' Riot The Squatters ' Riot was an uprising and conflict that took place between squatting settlers and the government of Sacramento , California ( then an unorganized territory annexed after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ) in August 1850 concerning the lands that John Sutter controlled in the region and the extremely high prices that speculators set for land that they had acquired from Sutter . The influx of squatters was a consequence of the 1848 California Gold Rush ; when courts began to take legal action against squatters in the area , the squatters mobilized under Dr . Charles L . Robinson and Joseph Maloney and challenged mayor Hardin Bigelow and sheriff Joseph McKinney ; the conflict was ultimately resolved , and the speculation in Sacramento ended as a result . Background . The California Gold Rush , which began in 1848 , attracted thousands of gold seekers to the Sacramento Valley region after flakes of gold were discovered at a sawmill owned by John Sutter , Sr . in Coloma . Founding an embarcadero on the confluence of the American and Sacramento Rivers to facilitate trade , the Gold Rush made Sutter disillusioned and he replaced himself with his son as tender of business affairs in Sutter ' s New Helvetia . Sutter ' s temporary succession by his son gave Sutter , Jr . the power and opportunity to develop the embarcadero into a settlement that he dubbed " Sacramento City " with his partner , Samuel Brannan from San Francisco in the south . However , even after the hype that accompanied the Gold Rush began to settle down , settlers continued to move into Sacramento City , attracted by the trade that continued to bustle along its location on the Sacramento and American . Settlers who had recently arrived in California found that unclaimed land in key locations was difficult to find and possess . Of the of claimed land in California , eight hundred people held the deed to differing quantities of this land . With no convenient location in which they could stay , new arrivals who could not afford lodging in the city squatted on claimed land circling the settlement . Contentious squatters challenged the right of John Sutter ' s Mexican - era claim to the Sacramento Valley , as his possessions encompassed much of the Sacramento region . Prelude to conflict . The squatters were roused initially by an October 1849 lawsuit filed against a logger named Z . M . Chapman , who had constructed a log cabin nearby Sutter ' s Fort on Priest , Lee , & Company - owned land . When the commercial institution could not pool sufficient evidence displaying their ownership of the land , Chapman extended his claim , challenging at first Sutter ' s grants and later on all city - owned land . Charles L . Robinson approved of Chapman ' s actions and built his own shack on another ' s private land . The squatting settlers organized the Sacramento City Settlers Organization ; Robinson became the group ' s president . Headed by Samuel Brannan , landowners in the area spoke against Robinson ' s actions and convinced the Sacramento City Council to issue a document that permitted the destruction of Robinson ' s property . However , a major January flood washed through and destroyed much of Sacramento City , scattering most of the squatters in the vicinity of the city center . This temporarily dealt with the problem . Many former squatters headed north to placer mines in search of gold , although after the floods had ended and the former squatters realized that there was little gold to be had , hundreds returned to the city . The settlers who supported government recognition of squatters ' rights began to host public meetings in the spring of 1850 , at which they swore to defend their lands if confronted . A " Law and Order Association " was formed and an irregular militia was organized to challenge the speculators who charged high prices for the land they had purchased from Sutter , as well as Sutter himself . Tension in the city began to increase after a group of speculators had a squatter - built and squatter - owned fence demolished . In May 1850 , the newly elected judge of Sacramento County , named E . J . Willis , charged a squatter named John T . Madden with unlawful occupation . When the court ruled against Madden on August 8 , squatter - sympathetic settlers charged the speculators with " brute force " in handbills distributed across the city . The squatters chose to rally under Dr . Charles L . Robinson , who became the movement ' s " de facto " leader ; Robinson worked with future " Sacramento Bee " editor James McClatchy to found the " Settlers and Miners Tribune " , which attacked the land monopoly that stifled new immigration to the city . He also enlisted Joseph Maloney to head a company of squatters in case military action was required . Protracting peace for an additional day , mayor Hardin Bigelow promised that writs for arrest against those who joined Robinson would not be issued . However , the next day on August 13 , a writ of restitution was issued of the locale at which John T . Madden had stayed as a squatter prior to his trial ; the writ of restitution called forth James McClatchy and another Free Soil advocate named Richard Moran . Along with others who had opposed the sheriff ' s decision to execute the writ , McClatchy and Moran were jailed aboard a ship that served as the city ' s prison brig , the " La Grange " . On August 14 , Maloney and Robinson mobilized their military force of approximately forty or fifty and marched through downtown Sacramento , intent on freeing the Madden residence from government confiscation ; however , Hardin Bigelow believed that they were marching towards the " La Grange " to free McClatchy and Moran , and mobilized a military force . Fearing a full - scale uprising , Bigelow marched with his fellow settlers and confronted Maloney and Robinson at the corner of streets Fourth and J . Battles . The details of the following fight were not clear , although the local " Placer Times " worked to document the battle . At the confrontation in downtown Sacramento , Hardin Bigelow at first ordered the squatters to stand down and relinquish their arms ; shooting began instead . Hardin Bigelow was severely injured , and Charles Robinson was incapacitated as well . City assessor J . W . Woodland , Joseph Maloney , and a squatter named Jesse Morgan all perished in the course of the conflict . Two civilian bystanders were killed in the crossfire . General Albert Maver Winn , who was the head of the Sacramento City Council at the time , ordered 500 militiamen towards the city and declared a state of martial law until the matter could be resolved . Meanwhile , as Bigelow set himself aside to recover from his wounds , Joseph McKinney lead a party of twenty men and attacked a squatter camp at Brighton , a settlement to the east of Sacramento proper . Although McKinney and three of the squatters were killed , the conflict had wound down and drawn to a close . Aftermath . Hardin Bigelow was unable to resume his duties as mayor , and headed south to San Francisco to recuperate . He was replaced by Demas Strong , the president of the Common Council . Charles Robinson , although tried for murder , remained extremely popular with the populace of Sacramento , and was elected to the California State Legislature while still in prison , after supporters placed his name on the ballot . Robinson also became the first governor of the state of Kansas . McClatchy and Moran were released from the " La Grange " two days after the Squatters Riot ended , and the speculation that moved the squatters to action began to disappear , although the federal government agreed to uphold Sutter ' s pre - American grant and the squatters lost the legal battle .