Jim Savage
Encyclopedia
Jim Savage or James D. Savage, (1817–1852), California pioneer, 49er
, businessman, American soldier in the Mexican American War, and commander of the California Militia, Mariposa Battalion
in the Mariposa War
, discoverer of the Yosemite Valley
.
, Bureau County, Illinois
. Although poorly educated he had a gift for learning languages. Savage married and moved to Peru, Illinois
, where his daughter was born. In April 1846, Savage and his brother, Morgan, decided to migrate to California
. At Independence, Missouri
, they joined the party led by former Missouri
Governor Lilburn Boggs
for the trip to California. During the six month journey, both his wife and child died.
where he lived with the Tularenos and learned their language. He eventually married several daughters of the tribal leaders of the tribes in the Sierra foothill region and led them in war against other tribes as one of their a chieftains.
and the Merced
and Fresno River
s where he traded for gold with the local tribes. In October 1850, he traveled to San Francisco with a band of Indians, and was said to have rolled a barrel full of gold dust through the lobby of the hotel where he was staying. When he returned to his post on the Fresno River, he found it had been raided and his employees killed by some of the tribesmen he had been trading with.
. On March 25, 1851, Savage marched at the head of a company of the Mariposa Battalion which included a Doctor Lafayette Bunnell
, who wrote about the expedition. Marching into the Sierra wilderness, they came upon Yosemite Valley at Inspiration Point and became the first non-indigenous
discoverers of Yosemite Valley. Discovery was not the main purpose of the trip: the Battalion rode out in search of Native American
tribal leaders involved in recent raids on American settlements. After campaigns up the rivers into the mountains and taking control of the Yosemite, the tribes submitted to moving to a reservation ending the Mariposa War and the Mariposa Battalion was disbanded.
49er
49er: A prospector or other settler that came in the California Gold Rush who arrived before or during 1849, the early part of the rush, before the state was established.49er also may refer to:- Sports :...
, businessman, American soldier in the Mexican American War, and commander of the California Militia, Mariposa Battalion
Mariposa Battalion
Mariposa Battalion was a California State Militia unit formed in 1851 to fight the Yosemites and Chowchillas in the Mariposa War.After a force under Mariposa County Sheriff James Burney was found unequal to the task of defeating the Indians, Burney made an appeal to Governor John McDougal for help...
in the Mariposa War
Mariposa War
The Mariposa War was a conflict between Native Americans and miners in California that took place in the early 1850s.The Mariposa War was sparked by the 1849 California Gold Rush, the discovery of the gold forged a California Trail which forked off southward from the Oregon Trail...
, discoverer of the Yosemite Valley
Yosemite Valley
Yosemite Valley is a glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada mountains of California, carved out by the Merced River. The valley is about long and up to a mile deep, surrounded by high granite summits such as Half Dome and El Capitan, and densely forested with pines...
.
Early years
James D. Savage was born in Morgan County, Illinois in 1817. When he was sixteen, his family settled in PrincetonPrinceton, Illinois
Princeton is a city in Bureau County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,501 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Bureau County.Princeton is part of the Ottawa–Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, Bureau County, Illinois
Bureau County, Illinois
Bureau County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 34,978, which is a decrease of 1.5% from 35,503 in 2000. Its county seat is Princeton. Bureau County is part of the Ottawa–Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area...
. Although poorly educated he had a gift for learning languages. Savage married and moved to Peru, Illinois
Peru, Illinois
Peru is a city in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 10,295 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Ottawa–Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area...
, where his daughter was born. In April 1846, Savage and his brother, Morgan, decided to migrate to 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...
. At Independence, Missouri
Independence, Missouri
Independence is the fourth largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri, and is contained within the counties of Jackson and Clay. It is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area...
, they joined the party led by former Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
Governor Lilburn Boggs
Lilburn Boggs
Lilburn Williams Boggs was the sixth Governor of Missouri from 1836 to 1840. He is now most widely remembered for his interactions with Joseph Smith and Porter Rockwell, and Missouri Executive Order 44, known by Mormons as the "Extermination Order", issued in response to the ongoing conflict...
for the trip to California. During the six month journey, both his wife and child died.
Mexican American War
Boggs party arrived in California in late October 1846, and Savage joined John Fremonts, California Battalion during the California Campaign of the Mexican American War. In April 1847, Frémont disbanded the battalion and Savage went to the San Joaquin ValleySan Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley is the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta in Stockton...
where he lived with the Tularenos and learned their language. He eventually married several daughters of the tribal leaders of the tribes in the Sierra foothill region and led them in war against other tribes as one of their a chieftains.
Gold rush
After the discovery of gold at Sutters Mill, Savage established his own trading posts on Mariposa CreekMariposa Creek
Mariposa Creek, originally called the Mariposa River, is a creek that has its source in Mariposa near the town of Mariposa, California that flows through that town southwest through the Sierra foothills, into and across the San Joaquin Valley in Merced County, into the sloughs of the San Joaquin...
and the Merced
Merced River
The Merced River , in the central part of the U.S. state of California, is a -long tributary of the San Joaquin River flowing from the Sierra Nevada into the Central Valley. It is most well known for its swift and steep course through the southern part of Yosemite National Park, and the...
and Fresno River
Fresno River
The Fresno River is a river in Central California and a major tributary of the San Joaquin River. It runs approximately from the Sierra Nevada Range to the San Joaquin River.-Course:...
s where he traded for gold with the local tribes. In October 1850, he traveled to San Francisco with a band of Indians, and was said to have rolled a barrel full of gold dust through the lobby of the hotel where he was staying. When he returned to his post on the Fresno River, he found it had been raided and his employees killed by some of the tribesmen he had been trading with.
Yosemite
When local militia failed to quell the uprising of the tribes, the governor of California, John McDougall put Savage at the head of a unit of State Militia called the Mariposa Battalion with the rank of MajorMajor
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
. On March 25, 1851, Savage marched at the head of a company of the Mariposa Battalion which included a Doctor Lafayette Bunnell
Lafayette Bunnell
Lafayette Houghton Bunnell was an American physician, explorer, author, and an explorer of Yosemite Valley, born in Rochester, New York.-Biography:...
, who wrote about the expedition. Marching into the Sierra wilderness, they came upon Yosemite Valley at Inspiration Point and became the first non-indigenous
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
discoverers of Yosemite Valley. Discovery was not the main purpose of the trip: the Battalion rode out in search of Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
tribal leaders involved in recent raids on American settlements. After campaigns up the rivers into the mountains and taking control of the Yosemite, the tribes submitted to moving to a reservation ending the Mariposa War and the Mariposa Battalion was disbanded.