Bloody Island Massacre

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For other places called Bloody Island, see Bloody Island.

The Bloody Island Massacre (also called the Clear Lake Massacre) occurred on an island called Bo-no-po-ti at the north end of Clear Lake, Lake County, California on May 15, 1850. A number of Pomo Indians, primarily members of the Hoolanapo clan, had been enslaved and abused by settlers Andrew Kelsey — whose name is still attached to the town of Kelseyville today — and Charles Stone. The Pomo finally revolted and killed Kelsey and Stone. A United States Army contingent under General Nathaniel Lyon, who at that time was still a lieutenant, cornered as many as 200 Pomo on an island in Clear Lake's northern swamps, and slaughtered most of them — including scores of women and children. One of the few Pomo survivors of the massacre was Lucy Moore, whose descendants now operate the Lucy Moore Foundation.

Later, the Pomo were forced to live in small "rancherias" set aside by the federal government. For most of the 20th century, the few Pomo people left had to live on these tiny reservations in poverty. It should be noted that very few textbooks on California history even mention the Bloody Island incident, or the subsequent abuse of native Californians.

The California state historical marker for Bloody Island is on State Highway 20 between Upper Lake and the Robinson Rancheria. The original marker, placed by the state in the 1960s, had described the massacre as the "Battle of Bloody Island" and was destroyed by vandals in 2002. The state government subsequently mounted a more culturally sensitive plaque, which was not vandalized.

Currently, the local band of Pomo Indians operate the Robinson Rancheria Casino which is approximately five miles from the site of the Bloody Island Massacre.