Wintu & Bridge Gulch Massacre

In the spring of 1852, a Weaverville citizen by the name of John R. Anderson was killed and his cattle driven off by a band of Wintu Indians in retaliation for years of abuse and persecution by the citizens of Weaverville. Sheriff William H. Dixon then led a group of 70 volunteers to hunt down the band of Wintu that committed the act. The massacre occurred at Bridge Gulch, a natural bridge in the Hayfork Valley of Shasta-Trinity national Forest, known as "Kok-Chee-Shuhp-Chee," or "Bundle of Hudes," by the Winty due to the texture and color of the walls. In the hours of the early morning, under the guise of darkness to ensure few Wintu could escape, the slaughter resulted in the deaths of 153 men, women, and children, leaving only a few child survivors.