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settlers’ encroachment on their territory. Their problems were compounded when scores of miners flocked to the area after the discovery of the Comstock Lode: the first large silver deposit found in the United States. To get material for their houses, the miners chopped down pine-tree groves that the Paiute natives depended on for food. They also let their livestock graze in lands the Paiute used to feed their ponies. The worst was yet to come. In 1859, a bitterly cold winter descended over Nevada and caused many Paiute to suffer. Tensions reached a boiling point the next year. On May 6, a Paiute raiding party attacked Williams Station – which housed a saloon, general store, and Pony Express depot – and killed the owner’s two brothers and three other patrons. When they were finished, the raiders burned the station to the ground.
The exact reasons behind the “Williams Station Massacre” are still unclear. According to Sarah Winnemucca’s Life Among the Paiute: Their Wrongs and Claims, the brothers had kidnapped two Paiute children and the attack had occurred during a rescue mission; however, another source states that the tribe was simply intent on driving the settlers out.
Either way, the raid on Williams Station proved to be the last straw in the relations between the Native Americans and the settlers. After the attack, men from Virginia City, Silver City, Carson City, and Genoa (all in Nevada) formed a vigilante committee to hunt down the “marauders.” As one volunteer recalled, most
of the men had too much whisky and too little discipline. Their attempt at retribution – the First Battle of Pyramid Lake – marked the start of the Paiute War and ended in a costly defeat. After chasing a small group of Paiutes into a ravine, the vigilantes were ambushed by a much larger force. Seventy-six of them were killed – including their leader, Major William Ormsby. The survivors were allegedly chased through the woods for 20 miles. In response, a Texas ranger named Colonel John Coffee Hays was asked to establish and command a more organized militia. He subsequently defeated a Paiute force in the Second Battle of Pyramid Lake. Soon afterwards, the federal government constructed a fort near the tip of Pyramid Lake to prevent further attacks. Although minor raids and skirmishes continued for the next two months, the war ended when the Paiute leader – Chief Numaga – agreed to an informal cease-fire in August.
The Pony Express was heavily impacted by the Paiute War. During the conflict, eight of their depots were attacked. About 150 of the company’s horses were stolen or driven away; worse still, 16 employees – including four riders – were killed. In all, the Pony Express lost $75,000 (equivalent to $2,700,000 today) in damages because
of the war.
Despite this turmoil, a number of riders rose to the challenge courageously. In the midst of
Above, Comstock Lode was the first large silver deposit found in the United States.
Below, left, Major William Ormsby was killed in the Paiute War at the Battle of Pyramid Lake.
Below, right, Paiute leader Chief Numaga agreed to an informal cease-fire in the Paiute War.
Nevada Historical Society
National Archives and Records Administration T.L. Dawes (drawing); Le Count Bros., San Francisco (lithographers)
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