Battle of Chimney Rock
San Bernardino County, San Bernardino County, California
Marker Inscription
Chimney Rock Conflicts between Indians and white settlers over the rich lands of the San Bernardino Mountains culminated in the battle at Chimney Rock on February 16, 1867. Although the Indians defended themselves fiercely, they were forced to retreat into the desert. In the years following, the Indians' traditional mountain food-gathering areas were lost to white encroachment. California Registered Historical Landmark No. 737 Originally registered June 6, 1960. Plaque placed by the State Department of Parks and Recreation in cooperation with Billy Holcomb Chapter of E Clampus Vitus, Lucerne Valley Museum Association, and Lucerne Valley Chamber of Commerce, May 4, 1986
Erected by California State Department of Parks and Recreation
The Story
By the 1860s, settlers pressing into the rich lands of the San Bernardino Mountains collided with the Native people whose gathering grounds these highlands had long been. That struggle came to a head at Chimney Rock in February 1867, where the outnumbered defenders fought hard before being driven into the desert, losing access to their traditional food-gathering areas in the years that followed.
Why it matters
The battle is a stark local chapter in the wider story of Indigenous dispossession that accompanied American westward expansion.
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Related events
- · Battle at Chimney Rock, February 16, 1867
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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