Near Fall River Mills in Shasta County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Captain Dick and Richard Pugh
Photographed By Syd Whittle, May 9, 2008
1. Captain Dick and Richard Pugh Marker
Captain Dick and Richard Pugh
The 1850's saw tension and turmoil between the early settlers and the native peoples of the Fall River Valley.
Richard Pugh, a native of Wales, was chosen by Lt. George Crook to be his guide when he and his company were sent to Fall River Valley in 1857. In October 1857 Lt. Crook was transferred to the Klamath Area in Northern California. He asked his guide, Dick Pugh, to remain in the Fall River Valley and help to complete the building of Fort Crook.
Richard Pugh remained in the valley for the rest of his life. He and his wife adopted an Indian boy and reared him. At the age of 16, this young man, known as Captain Dick, became the leader of the Achumawis. Under his leadership peace was maintained in Fall River Valley, and requests for assistance from other tribes including the Modocs for their long war were declined.
Captain Dick died at the age of 34. Three hundred persons attended his funeral. His place of burial is about two miles east of this monument, at the far end of Creighton Drive.
Richard Pugh died at Ft. Crook and was buried there the year that the fort was abandoned. All graves were transferred to other places, but less than half had markers. He is one of the unknowns.
Additional information is
this page online
Erected by Fort Crook Historical Society, American Legion Post 369, McDonald's Chapel Burney.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles • Native Americans • Settlements & Settlers • Wars, US Indian. A significant historical month for this entry is October 1857.
Location. 41° 5.318′ N, 121° 30.861′ W. Marker is near Fall River Mills, California, in Shasta County. Marker is on McArthur Road (Route A19) south of Soldier Mountain Road, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Fall River Mills CA 96028, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 6 other markers are within 10 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Fort Crook (here, next to this marker); Glenburn Community Church (approx. 2.3 miles away); Lockhart Ferry (approx. 7 miles away); The Civilian Conservation Corps: A Surviving Legacy (approx. 8.8 miles away); Burney Falls (approx. 8.9 miles away); Site of the First School in Fall River Valley (approx. 9.3 miles away).
Additional commentary.
1. Captain Dick, Indian Chief 1845-1878
Captain Dick's obituary was published in the Reading Independent of Redding (Shasta Co.), California on Monday,
Photographed By Syd Whittle, April 9, 2008
2. In Commemoration of Captain Dick and Richard Pugh Marker
DEATH OF CAPTAIN DICK
Captain Dick, Chief of the Fall River Indians, died, after a lingering illness, near Burgettville, Nov. 7, 1878, aged about 33 years.
Captain Dick has been "Big Tyee" of the Fall River Indians for about 15 years, having been chosen to that office through the advice and influence of the late Dick Pugh. Captain Dick has ever been a warm friend to the whites, by profession at least, and it is hoped that when his successor is chosen, that no worse Indian may be selected.
The funeral was attended by about 300 Indians, and conformed in most respects to the modes of civilized life. The body was handsomely dressed in a new suit of clothes, with kid gloves, white shirt, gold studs and collar button, and inclosed in a stylish covered and mounted coffin.
At the request of many of the Indians the Rev. A.F. Hubbard conducted the burial services, during which the most quiet order prevailed, and while prayer was being offered at the grave, each individual Indian knelt on the ground, bowing the head on the hands in the most reverent manner, forming a scene on the banks of the crystal stream never before witnessed and long to be remembered by those who witnessed its solemn picturesqueness.
Dick's last advice to his subjects was that they must not kill any more Indian doctors, as it was wrong, and was not the custom of the whites, whose customs he wished them to adopt.
Several Indians have been spoken of as Dick's successor, but no one has yet been chosen. It is hoped that they will choose no worse Indian than Captain Dick. Peace to his ashes.
Resident, Fall River Mills, Nov. 11, 1878
[Transcribed by Robin Bills, source: http://www.cagenweb.com/shasta/Obits/obits15.html)
— Submitted August 18, 2008, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 8, 2019. It was originally submitted on August 15, 2008, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona. This page has been viewed 3,239 times since then and 41 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 15, 2008, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.
