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The Central Sierra Miwok inhabited the Tuolumne area during the prehistoric and historic periods and continuing to the present. Near present day Tuolumne, several permanent Miwok villages and seasonal food gathering settlements have been identified. One such village was located on Turnback Creek on what became the West Side Flume and Lumber Company's millpond in 1899. The Miwok have great respect for their natural environment, gathering acorns, nuts and other vegetation as well as hunting deer for food. The Gold Rush in 1849 meant major changes for the Miwok, forcing the group to move from their traditional encampments near the gold-bearing streams. Racism and hostility toward the native inhabitants was widespread in the mining camps of the Mother Lode. Streams were polluted by silt from mining activities and forests were cut down, reducing the availability of traditional food sources. The Miwok tribe strained to adapt to new ways of life: by World War II, twenty to thirty Miwok worked for West Side Lumber. To this day, many Miwok descendants live in Tuolumne.
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Links to the History of the |
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Miwok fight for acceptance |
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Me-Wuk Tribal Heritage Website |
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