The Indians of southern California in 1852
Subtitle: the B.D. Wilson report and a selection of contemporary comment
By: edited by John Walton Caughey ; introduction to the Bison Books edition by Albert L. Hurtado.
Contributors: Caughey, John Walton, 1902-
Edition: Bison Books ed.
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Published: 1995
Place of publication: Lincoln
Language: eng
Number of pages: 154
Subjects: Indians of North America -- California; Indians of North America -- Government relations -- 1789-1869; Indian reservations -- California
Description: "Benjamin Davis Wilson was one of the first American settlers in Southern California. He became a prosperous rancher and the mayor of little Los Angeles. A special friend of the Indians of Southern California, Wilson was appointed their subagent in 1852, when the Indians were on the edge of catastrophe - their population reduced by two-thirds within a generation. Wilson's great contribution, the one he wished to be remembered for, was to appraise the problems of these Indians and urge their settlement on land set aside for them. His report (published in the Los Angeles Star in 1868) was instrumental in creating the reservation system. [This book] was inspired by Wilson's desire "to secure peace and justice to the Indians." He recognized his duty to guard against Indian raids on the ranchos and settlements while establishing policies that ensured the future welfare of Indians suffering from the breakdown of the old mission program. Besides the influential Wilson report, this volume contains vivid descriptions of life in the so-called Cow Counties of Southern California at mid-nineteenth century. Also included are excerpts from contemporary newspapers." -- Publisher's description
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 153-154).
Originally published: San Marino, Calif. : Huntington Library, 1952.
The report, prepared in 1852, was originally published serially in the Los Angeles star, July 18-Sept. 19, 1868.