Bloody Island
Bo-No-Po-Ti

One-fourth mile west is the island called Bo-No-Po-Ti (Old Island), now Bloody Island. It was a place for native gatherings until May 15, 1850. On that date, a regiment of the 1st Dragoons of the U.S. Cavalry, commanded by Capt. Nathaniel Lyon and Lt. J.W. Davidson, massacred nearly the entire native population of the island. Most were women and children. This act was in reprisal for the killing of Andrew Kelsey and Charles Stone who had long enslaved, brutalized, and starved indigenous people in the area. The island, now a hill surrounded by reclaimed land, remains a sacred testament to this sacrifice of innocents.

California Registered Historical Landmark No. 427

Plaque placed by the State Department of Parks and Recreation in cooperation with the Lucy Moore Foundation, California Department of Transportation, and United States Forest Service, May 15, 2005.