| Yellow Creek massacre | |
|---|---|
| Part of Lord Dunmore's War | |
 Illustration from Frost, Pictorial History of Indian Wars (1873) | |
| Date | April 30, 1774 |
Attack type | ambush |
| Weapons | muskets |
| Deaths | 9-13 |
| Victims | Mingo |
| Assailants | Virginian settlers |
The Yellow Creek massacre was a killing of several[note 1] Mingo Indians by Virginian settlers on April 30, 1774. The massacre occurred across from the mouth of the Yellow Creek on the upper Ohio River in the Ohio Country, near the current site of the Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort. It was the single most important incident contributing to the outbreak of Lord Dunmore's War (May–October 1774). It was carried out by a group led by Jacob Greathouse and Daniel Greathouse. Daniel Greathouse died of measles the following year, and Jacob Greathouse was killed in an ambush in 1777. The other perpetrators were never brought to justice.
The ramifications of the massacre proved more severe because Mingo leader Logan maintained friendly relationships with Virginian settlers in the region. Chief Logan was away on a hunt, but his wife Mellana, his brother Taylaynee (called John Petty by the Virginian settlers), Taylaynee's son Molnah and their sister Koonay were among those killed in the massacre. Koonay was also the wife of John Gibson,[1] a prominent American trader operating between the Virginian settlers and various Native American groups.
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- ^ Calloway 2018, pp. 207–208.