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Birth at Humboldt Lake
Sarah Winnemucca was born around 1844 at Humboldt Lake in what is now western Nevada. Sarah Winnemucca's father was Winnemucca (Poito), a Shoshone who joined the Paiute through marriage, and her mother was Tuboitonie. Her oldest sister was named Mary, her younger brother was named Natchez, and her other sister was named Elma. (modern Humboldt Lake pictured) -
Sarah arrives near Stockton, California
Sarah Winnemucca was raised here alongside her siblings, while the adults of her family worked in the local cattle industry. (Stockton, CA pictured - the family did not live in this particular location but frequented the area) -
Sarah is sent to live in the household of William Ormsby
Sarah's grandfather, Tru-ki-zo or Truckee, was an influential prophet and medicine chief of the Northern Paiute. He sent her and her sister, Elma, to live with William Ormsby and his family. He was a hotel owner and civic leader of Carson City, Nevada. They accompanied the Ormsbys' daughter, did domestic work, improved their English, and learned about European-American ways. The knowledge she gained here would help her navigate the world of U.S.-European settlers. (Chief Truckee pictured) -
Old Winnemucca arranges for Sarah to return to Nevada
Due to the decreased pressure of new migrants in the region (they came for the Washoe silver finds), Sarah's father made plans for Sarah and Elma to return to their home in Nevada. (Washoe Silver Regions pictured) -
Open conflict occurs between the Paiute and settlers
Two settler men kidnapped and abused two Paiute girls, in retaliation the men were killed. Major Ormsby led a militia of settlers and miners by default, he was killed by the Paiute in a confrontation in the first part of the Pyramid Lake War. The settlers could not hold against the Paiute and a truce was reached. Sarah's cousin, Young Winnemucca, led the Paiute as a war chief and Truckee died of a tarantula bite. The conflict and loss of Truckee shook the Paiute. (young Paiute children pictured) -
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The "Royal Paiute Family" travels away from the reservation to perform
Between 1880-1865, Sarah's family traveled between cities like Virginia City and San Francisco to perform. They were often called the "Royal Paiute Family". During this time, Sarah's father took a young second wife and had a son with her. Traveling from city to city like this and their grand displays helped build Sarah's reputation as the "Paiute Princess". -
Captain Almond B. Wells led raids across Nevada
Natives were accused of raids and cattle stealing; US forces acted against them repeatedly. Cpt. Almond B. Wells led a Nevada Volunteer cavalry in raids across northern Nevada, attacking the Paiute. No one was spared. Sarah and her family were in Dayton, NV. While there, Wells attacked Old Winnemucca's camp. Out of 30 band members, 29 were killed, including the chief's wives and son. The losses propelled Sarah forward and inspired her to do what she could for her people. (Cpt. Wells pictured) -
Paiute survivors move to Fort McDermitt
On the Nevada-Oregon border, 490 Paiute survivors moved to Ford McDermitt seeking protection from the US Army against the Nevada Volunteers. They did not know it at the time, but seeking protection from the US Army would ultimately backfire and worsen the struggles the Paiute faced. (Paiute, Shoshone territory picture. Based in Nevada) -
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Malheur Reservation is established by President Ulysses S. Grant
The federal government established the Malheur reservation in eastern Oregon for the Northern Paiute and Bannock peoples. Three bands of Paiute moved to the reservation not long after. Sarah, her brother Natchez, his family, and Old Winnemucca moved there in 1875. -
Sarah marries Edward Bartlett
In Salt Lake City, Utah Sarah married Edward Bartlett, a former First Lieutenant in the Army. He soon abandoned her and she returned to Camp McDermitt. (Camp McDermitt in the distance picture) -
Sarah begins work at the Malheur Reservation, having been invited to by Indian Agent Samuel B. Parrish
Upon reaching the Malheur Reservation, Sarah was invited to work as an interpreter by Samuel B. Parrish. She learned he worked well with the Paiute, encouraged them to learn skills, helped establish an agricultural program, and plant crops. Parrish had a school built at the reservation and Sarah became an assistant teacher there. Here Sarah was able to develop her skills as an interpreter and use them to try to better lives of her people. "Manifest Destiny, settlers displacing Natives pictured) -
Sarah divorces Edward Bartlett after moving to Malheur Reservation
After moving to Malheur Reservation with her family, Sarah divorced Bartlett and filed to regain her name Winnemucca. The court granted her name back to her and she remained Sarah Winnemucca. ("Then and Now" Malheur Reservation pictured) -
Parrish is replaced by William V. Rinehart, the reservation becomes inhospitable
In the summer of 1876, Parrish was replaced by William V. Rinehart. The Paiute were unhappy to see him replaced, they suffered under Rinehart's "extermination-style warfare" and insistance on keeping them on a leash. Policies that Parrish brought forth were reversed, he asserted dominance over them, refused/failed to pay their workers, and alienated the local tribal leaders. The reservation became a shadow of what it once was and foreshadowed what was to come. (William V. Rineheart pictured) -
The Bannock War begins
The catalyst of the war was the Bannock from south Idaho leaving the Fort Hall Reservation and moving west where they raided white settlements. The Bannock, like the Paiute, left their reservations due to the abuse and discrimination. (Illustration of the Bannock War pictured -
During the Bannock War, Sarah is employed as a translator by General O. Howard of the U.S. Army
Sarah worked as a translator, scout, and messenger for General Oliver O. Howard (they met on the reservation). Sarah was highly regarded by the officers she worked for and vice versa, she even received letters of recommendation from them. She partially began to support the U.S. Army's plans to take control of the reservations. Her experiences here helped prepare her for the future and she developed many important relationships. (General Howard pictured) -
North Paiute Bands Interned in the Yakama Indian Reservation
Following the war, 543 Northern Paiute were interned in a camp in the Yakama Indian Reservation in eastern Washington. Sarah traveled along with them as a translator and because of her job, was not required to live on a reservation. She was outraged by the conditions the Paiute faced and began to inform people in California and Nevada about the atrocities. (Yakuma territory pictured) -
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Sarah lobbies in Washington, DC for the release of the Paiute
Sarah traveled to Washington, DC in the winter of 1879-80 with her father and two others. They lobbied for the release of the Paiute from the Yakama Indian Reservation. They gained permission from Secretary of the Interior, Carl Schurz, for the Paiute to be permitted to return to Malheur but at their own expense. The government chose to close Malheur in 1879, revoked Schurz's permission basically saying the Paiute were too savage to have this place and yet too barbaric to leave on their own. -
Sarah marries her last husband, Lieutenant Lewis H. Hopkins
Sarah and Hopkins met after General Oliver O. Howard hired her to educate Shoshone prisoners being held at the Vancouver Barracks. She quickly became close to the Indian Department employee and they married the same year in San Francisco. (Lewis H. Hopkins pictured)
A note on her marriages:
1.) unidentified Paiute man, around 1861 (divorced)
2.) Edward Bartlett, January 29, 1871 (divorced 1876)
3.) Joseph Satwaller, November 13, 1878 (unknown)
4.) Lewis H. Hopkins, December 5, 1881 (died 1887) -
Sarah meets Elizabeth Peabody and Mary Peabody Mann, the first known autobiography written by a Native American woman
The three women met in Boston, where the latter promoted Sarah's career and helped compile/prepare her lecture materials for the publication "Life Among the Piutes". This book was published in 1883, at the time and for many years it was considered to be the first know autobiography written by a Native American woman and the first copyright registration secured in the U.S. by a Native American woman. These women would become valuable allies to Sara. (modern cover of Sarah's autobiography) -
The Hopkinses traveled through major cities in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic
The press referred to Sarah as the "Paiute Princess".. In their travels throughout these major cities, Sarah gave almost 300 lectures in her journey to bring more awareness to the injustices against Native Americans and their struggles. Sarah's husband did contribute to his wife's work by gathering information for her from the Library of Congress, his addiction to gambling and tuberculosis put a notable strain on her funds. (Winnemucca pictured in traditional Paiute garb) -
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Pyramid Lake and the Peabody Indian School
In 1884 Sarah returned to Nevada. She lectured in San Francisco for a year, and returned to Pyramid Lake where she built the Peabody Indian School with her brother. Federal policy changed after the Carlisle Indian School was deemed a success, this popularized "boarding schools" for Natives. In 1887 Sarah's school closed and the children were sent to a facility in Grand Junction. Peabody-Mann tried to turn the school into a technical training center but Sarah's prospects were poor. -
Liuetenant Lewis H. Hopkins Dies and the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887
Hopkins did not survive his battle with tuberculosis and died in 1887, leaving Sarah in deeper financial struggles.
Sarah would live to see the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887 be put into place. It required allotment of communal lands on reservations to individual household to force assimilation of tribes. The goal of this was to forcefully assimilate Natives into white society by destroying their cultures and traditions. Their homes were stolen from them. (Dawes Severality Act comic pictured) -
The last four years of Sarah's Life and her death
Sarah spent the final four years of her life in relative solitude at her sister's, Elma Smith, home at Henry's Lake, Idaho. She retired from public activity during this time. She would die of tuberculosis on October 16th, 1891. She died a defender of human rights. (a statue honoring Sarah pictured, in Washington, D.C.)
