Description
Photocopy of the original report printed in the
Los Angeles Star, volume XIV, August 8, 1868 issue.
Background
Benjamin Davis Wilson (1811-1878) of Tennessee came to California in 1841, married into the prominent Yorba family, and acquired
a vast property, including a ranch that encompassed the site of modern Riverside. He was elected mayor of Los Angeles in 1851
and was named sub-agent for Indian Affairs for Southern California not long after. The Indians of southern California in 1852
prints a report Wilson prepared in collaboration with Benjamin Hayes after being named a federal Indian agent. The document
identifies two major problems: the security of ranches and settlements from Indian raids and the plight of the mission Indians.
He recommends a reservation system as the solution to both. John Walton Caughey's introduction provides useful background,
supplemented by his appendix of "Contemporary Comment."
Restrictions
Material in public domain, some use fees may apply. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must
be submitted in writing to the Autry Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Autry National Center
as the custodian of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must
also be obtained by the reader.
Availability
Collection is open for research. Appointments to view materials are required. To make an appointment please visit http://theautry.org/research/research-rules-and-application
or contact library staff at rroom@theautry.org. An item-level inventory is available from library staff.