Squatters' Riot
Encyclopedia
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.
, 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 River
s 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 14 million acres (56,656 km²) 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.
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.
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.
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.
Squatting
Squatting consists of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have permission to use....
settlers and the government of Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
(then an unorganized territory annexed after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is the peace treaty, largely dictated by the United States to the interim government of a militarily occupied Mexico City, that ended the Mexican-American War on February 2, 1848...
) in August 1850 concerning the lands that John Sutter
John Sutter
Johann Augus Sutter was a Swiss pioneer of California known for his association with the California Gold Rush by the discovery of gold by James W. Marshall and the mill making team at Sutter's Mill, and for establishing Sutter's Fort in the area that would eventually become Sacramento, the...
controlled in the region and the extremely high prices that speculators
Speculation
In finance, speculation is a financial action that does not promise safety of the initial investment along with the return on the principal sum...
set for land that they had acquired from Sutter. The influx of squatters was a consequence of the 1848 California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
; when courts began to take legal action against squatters in the area, the squatters mobilized under Dr. Charles L. Robinson
Charles L. Robinson
Charles Lawrence Robinson was the first Governor of Kansas. He was also the first governor of a US state to be impeached, although he was not convicted or removed from office. To date he is the only governor of Kansas to be impeached...
and Joseph Maloney and challenged mayor Hardin Bigelow
Hardin Bigelow
Hardin Bigelow was the first elected mayor of the city of Sacramento, California, which was known then as "Sacramento City." Bigelow's efforts to construct Sacramento's first levees won him enough support to become mayor in Sacramento's first mayoral elections in February 1850...
and sheriff Joseph McKinney; the conflict was ultimately resolved, and the speculation in Sacramento ended as a result.
Background
The California Gold RushCalifornia Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
, which began in 1848, attracted thousands of gold seekers to the Sacramento Valley
Sacramento Valley
The Sacramento Valley is the portion of the California Central Valley that lies to the north of the San Joaquin-Sacramento Delta in the U.S. state of California. It encompasses all or parts of ten counties.-Geography:...
region after flakes of gold were discovered at a sawmill
Sutter's Mill
Sutter's Mill was a sawmill owned by 19th century pioneer John Sutter in partnership with James W. Marshall. It was located in Coloma, California, at the bank of the South Fork American River...
owned by John Sutter, Sr.
John Sutter
Johann Augus Sutter was a Swiss pioneer of California known for his association with the California Gold Rush by the discovery of gold by James W. Marshall and the mill making team at Sutter's Mill, and for establishing Sutter's Fort in the area that would eventually become Sacramento, the...
in Coloma
Coloma, California
Coloma is a census-designated place in El Dorado County, California, USA. It is approximately northeast of Sacramento, California. Coloma is most noted for being the site where James W. Marshall first discovered gold in California, at Sutter's Mill on January 24, 1848, leading to the California...
. Founding an embarcadero
Embarcadero
Embarcadero may refer to:* Embarcadero , California** Embarcadero Circle, waterfront re-development project* Embarcadero , California** Embarcadero Center, office complex** Embarcadero Freeway, former California State Route 480...
on the confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
of the American
American River
The American River is a California watercourse noted as the site of Sutter's Mill, northwest of Placerville, California, where gold was found in 1848, leading to the California Gold Rush...
and Sacramento River
Sacramento River
The Sacramento River is an important watercourse of Northern and Central California in the United States. The largest river in California, it rises on the eastern slopes of the Klamath Mountains, and after a journey south of over , empties into Suisun Bay, an arm of the San Francisco Bay, and...
s 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
New Helvetia
New Helvetia , meaning "New Switzerland", was a Mexican-era California settlement.The Swiss pioneer John Sutter arrived in Mexican Alta California with other settlers in August 1839. He established the agricultural and trading colony and stockade Sutter's Fort as "Nueva Helvetia" in 1840...
. 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
Samuel Brannan
Samuel Brannan was an American settler, businessman, and journalist, who founded the "California Star" newspaper in San Francisco, California...
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 14 million acres (56,656 km²) 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. RobinsonCharles L. Robinson
Charles Lawrence Robinson was the first Governor of Kansas. He was also the first governor of a US state to be impeached, although he was not convicted or removed from office. To date he is the only governor of Kansas to be impeached...
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
Sacramento City Council
The Sacramento City Council is the governing body of the city of Sacramento, California. The council holds regular meetings at Sacramento City Hall on Tuesdays at 2:00 pm and 6:00 pm, with exceptions for holidays and other special cases....
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
Placer mining
Placer mining is the mining of alluvial deposits for minerals. This may be done by open-pit or by various surface excavating equipment or tunneling equipment....
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
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
was organized to challenge the speculators
Speculation
In finance, speculation is a financial action that does not promise safety of the initial investment along with the return on the principal sum...
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
Sacramento County, California
Sacramento County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Sacramento, which is also the state capital. As of 2010 the county had a population of 1,418,788....
, 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
Charles L. Robinson
Charles Lawrence Robinson was the first Governor of Kansas. He was also the first governor of a US state to be impeached, although he was not convicted or removed from office. To date he is the only governor of Kansas to be impeached...
, who became the movement's de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
leader; Robinson worked with future Sacramento Bee editor James McClatchy
James McClatchy
James McClatchy was an American newspaper editor.Although he is thought of as founder of The Sacramento Bee, which grew into The McClatchy Company, James McClatchy was actually the newspaper's second editor, taking over just days after the newspaper began publication as The Daily Bee in February...
to found the Settlers and Miners Tribune, which attacked the land monopoly
Monopoly
A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
that stifled new immigration to the city. He also enlisted Joseph Maloney to head a company
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...
of squatters in case military action was required. Protracting peace for an additional day, mayor Hardin Bigelow
Hardin Bigelow
Hardin Bigelow was the first elected mayor of the city of Sacramento, California, which was known then as "Sacramento City." Bigelow's efforts to construct Sacramento's first levees won him enough support to become mayor in Sacramento's first mayoral elections in February 1850...
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
Writ of Assistance
A writ of assistance is a written order issued by a court instructing a law enforcement official, such as a sheriff, to perform a certain task. Historically, several types of writs have been called "writs of assistance". Most often, a writ of assistance is "used to enforce an order for the...
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
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the 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 LegislatureCalifornia State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...
while still in prison, after supporters placed his name on the ballot. Robinson also became the first governor of the state of Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. 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.