Native Americans

     
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Native Americans inhabited the Lassen Peak area thousands of years ago. Prehistoric Indians had crossed the land bridge between Asia and North America during the ice ages as long as 70,000 years ago. There were about 103 separate tribes speaking 21 distinctly different languages in California during the eighteenth century, before the Europeans arrived. Archaeological surveys indicate that the Lassen Park area was used regularly by the Native people since habitation and work sites have been found throughout the park. A relatively large tribe called the Maidu, which still exist today, occupied large areas on the east and south side of the park in a meadowed area that now lies beneath Lake Almanor.

A second tribe, the Atsugewi, spent their winters along Hat Creek and in Hat Creek Valley. They traveled to the north and northwest regions of the Lassen Park area in the springtime. Summer months among the Atsugewi tribe were spent hunting the large herds of deer and fishing the mountain streams, while gathering seeds and berries as well as roots and grasses to make baskets. The Atsugewi still exist today because they avoided conflict with the white settlers; they still occupy areas of their native lands. During the summer months at Lassen Park, members of the Atsugewi tribe demonstrate basketry, tool technology, and their cultural traditions.

The Yana and Yahi Indians lived most of the year along creeks to the west of Lassen Peak where salmon were plentiful as well as a wide variety of seeds, nuts, berries, and acorns. During the summer months, when food became harder to find, they migrated into higher elevations like the Lassen Park area in search of a cooler climate and more abundant food sources. During the late 1800s, the Yana and Yahi peoples were annihilated in fights with white settlers over land in the Central Valley. Very little remains of these two Native American tribes; however, the compelling story of "Ishi," the last survivor of the Yahi people, became a well publicized story and TV movie which tells the story of the last "free" Native American in the United States.

The Yahi were thought to have been killed in a massacre in 1871, however in 1908, a group of four Yahi Indians were found in the hilly country around Deer Creek. Upon discovery, they disappeared into the thick surrounding brush. In 1911, a solitary Yahi man appeared in a corral near Oroville, Ca. He was placed in the care of the Department of Anthropology at the University of California and given the name "Ishi" which was thought to mean "man" in the Yahi language. Over the next five years, he shared his experience of the Yahi culture and became well respected and loved by his new companions. Ishi died of tuberculosis in 1916.

European Influence on Lassen Region

Spanish explorer, Don Luis Arguëllo gave the name San José to Lassen Peak in 1821 at around the same time that fur trappers were exploring the Sacramento River and its tributaries. One of the greatest trappers for the English Hudson Bay Company, Peter Skene Ogden, was probably the first white man to see the Lassen Park region. It was believed that Ogden also named Mt. Shasta (the majestic volcano that lies about 70 miles northwest of Lassen Peak) after the Sastise Indians. Jedidiah Smith, a famous American fur trapper and explorer, named Lassen Peak "Mount Joseph." It was later changed to "Mount Saint Joseph" in 1841 by a U. S. Government exploration party. In the 1840s, a Danish immigrant named Peter Lassen explored the Lassen area and was recognized as a major contributor to the development of northern California. Lassen founded a trail through the mountains to bring emigrants to northern California, which was later abandoned. Today, the Lassen National Park as well as the surrounding national forests bear his name in recognition of his contributions.

The California gold rush brought devastation to the wildlife populations throughout the mountains and foothills of northern California while leaving the Lassen region relatively untouched. Ranching, mining, and lumber became the major source of income for those in the Lassen area. 1863 brought the first geological survey to Lassen Peak, where they recognized the remains of former Mount Tehama and the more recent domes of the Chaos Crags. Kendall Vanhook Bumpass, a well-known hunter and mountain man, explored the largest geothermal feature in Lassen Park in 1864 which became known as Bumpass Hell.

Today Lassen Park is located in an area that is somewhat sparsely populated with relatively light travel, giving one the feeling of being in a national park twenty to thirty years ago. With approximately 150 square miles and more than 106,000 acres, the numerous hiking and backpacking trails in Lassen Volcanic National Park are full of natural history. Replete with vast forests, mountain streams, fascinating geothermal features, and breathtaking views, the park offers historic and cultural displays and demonstrations to suit a wide variety of interests.