People of the Land

People of the Land. . The mountains of Lassen Volcanic National Park have been a sacred place of healing and strength to American Indians for more than a thousand years. The Atsugewi, Maidu, Yana, and Yahi tribes settled in the mountain foothills and spent their summers in camps in the high country. They fished, hunted, and gathered foods. They worshiped, raised children, and buried their loved ones here. Descendants of these tribes still live near the edges of the park today and still remain connected to the land., In the 1820s fur traders penetrated Lassen’s woods, and word about the region spread. Settlers arrived in earnest by the 1850s. Soon after, a railroad and dependable wagon roads came to the area. With access to distant markets lumberman, miners, cattlemen, and sheepherders began to flourish. Reports of Lassen’s volcanic wonders brought scientists, and, soon after, tourists. And finally, following Lassen Peak’s 1915 eruption, came a national park - a park for all people.