Two Native American tribes and a community group are suing to stop a tribal casino project in Northern California. They have taken their case to a federal court in Washington, D.C. The lawsuit argues that the chosen casino site called Strawberry Fields is historically and culturally important as it is allegedly located where the 1846 Sacramento River Massacre happened.
Tribes Oppose Casino Plan, Claim Site Tied to 1846 Massacre
The Wintu Tribe of Northern California, the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians, and Speak Up Shasta Association are fighting the US Department of the Interior‘s choice to put the land in trust for the Redding Rancheria. These groups claim that the approval process did not consider key historical facts and broke several federal laws, including the National Historic Preservation Act and the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA).
The Sacramento River Massacre happened on April 8, 1846. US forces attacked Indigenous Californians on a large scale for the first time. Captain John C. Frémont led a military group that met many Wintu and nearby tribes. These tribes had gathered by the river to catch salmon, as they did every year. People at that time said that soldiers killed hundreds of unarmed Indigenous people, including women and children.
It is not known where the massacre took place. However, old records, including Frémont’s own diary, hint that it was near the Strawberry Fields area. Stories passed down by Wintu elders back this up. So do studies done by language experts in the 1800s and by modern researchers who study human cultures…