Nome Cult Trail

Members of the Round Valley Indian Tribe retrace the 1863 route of the Nome Cult walk, a forced relocation of Indians from Chico to Covelo.” – U.S. Forest Service [1]

The Nome Cult Trail also known as the Concow (or Koncow) Trail of Tears refers to the state-sanctioned forced removal of the Northern Californian Concow Maidu people during the 1860s to Round Valley Reservation. This historic trail is located in present-day Mendocino National Forest which follows Round Valley Road, through Rocky Ridge and the Sacramento Valley. On August 28, 1863, the Konkow Maidu were ordered by the California state militia to report to the Bidwell Ranch in Chico to be removed to the Round Valley Reservation at Covelo in Mendocino County. Any Native Americans remaining in the area were to be shot. 461 Concow Maidu were forced to march under guard west out of the Sacramento Valley and through to the Coastal Range. Only 277 reached Round Valley reservation on September 18, 1862 as 150 were too ill and malnourished to finish the march, 32 died en route, and 2 escaped.[2]

Today, there are close to 2,000 Maidu people who currently belong to the Federally Recognized Native Tribes of Berry Creek, Enterprise, and Mooretown Rancherias in Northern California.[3] The Maidu people continue to make contributions to their Nation, their communities, and the world, especially through establishing strong administrative and financial systems at the rancherias aiming to improve tribal health. [3][4] The current residents of the Round Valley Reservation host an annual walk on the Nome Cult Trail to commemorate the 1863 Removal of their Concow Maidu ancestors. [3][5]

  1. ^ "History of the Nome Cult Walk". Lake County Record-Bee. September 8, 2017.
  2. ^ Dizard, Jesse A. (2016). "Nome Cult Trail". ARC-GIS storymap. technical assistance from Dexter Nelson and Cathie Benjamin. Department of Anthropology, California State University, Chico – via Geography and Planning Department at CSU Chico.
  3. ^ a b c "The History of the Maidu Indians". Feather River Tribal Health: An AAAHC Accredited Organization.
  4. ^ "Maidu Tribe History". Greenville Rancheria.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).