POMO HISTORY AND THEIR INTERACTION WITH THE PIONEERS

THE POMO PEOPLE'S LIVES CHANGED DRAMATICALLY WHEN THE SPANISH CAME TO CALIFORNIA FROM MEXICO. BY THE 1700'S THEY ESTABLISHED NUMEROUS MISSIONS WHERE THEY FORCED THE POMO AND OTHER NATIVES TO WORK AS SLAVES, AND IF THEY TRIED TO RUN AWAY THEY WERE DISCIPLINED SEVERELY.

IN 1822 SPAIN HAD GRANTED MEXICO ITS INDEPENDENCE AND CALIFORNIA WAS CONSIDERED PART OF THE MEXICAN REPUBLIC. SOME MEXICANS GAVE THEIR PEOPLE LAND GRANTS THROUGHOUT SOUTH AND CENTRAL POMO TERRITORY. THIS EXPANSION WAS BACKED BY RUTHLESS MILTARY ACTIONS THROUGHOUT THE REGION. THE MILITARY BACKED THE MEXICAN EXPANSION HERE. THE POMO WERE CAPTURED AND SOLD AS SLAVES TO DEVELOP MEXICAN RANCHES ON THE TERRITORY THAT HAD BEEN THEIRS. GENERAL VALLEJO WHO OWNED A LARGE RANCH IN PETALUMA (NOW PETALUMA ADOBE STATE PARK) CAPTURED AND USED MANY POMO AND COAST MIWOK SLAVES TO OPERATE HIS RANCH DURING THE 1830'S - 12840'S. SOME OF THE POMO REFUSED TO GO TO HIS RANCH, AND THE MEXICAN TROOPS MASSACRED THE MEN IN THEIR SWEAT HOUSE.

THE POMOS WERE CONTINUOUSLY ATTACKED IN THE MID 1800'S. TWO WHITE MEN WERE KILLED BY THE POMO AND THIS RESULTED IN THE U S CALVERY COMING TO THE POMO TERRITORY AROUND CLEAR LAKE AND MASSACREDING MANY NATIVE TRIBES. THUS ONE ISLAND THERE WAS NAMED BLOODY ISLAND. IN 1856 MANY OF THE INDIANS WERE