The Yontoket Massacre or Burnt Ranch Massacre was an 1853 massacre of Tolowa people at the village of Yontocket, California. One Tolowa man said that more than 450 people were killed in the attack. The massacre was conducted by a "company" organized by American citizens of Crescent City. At the time of the attack, the Tolowa had been engaged in a prayer ceremony. After the initial massacre, a Tolowa man reported that those responsible for the attack started a bonfire, in which they burned sacred ceremonial clothing and feathers, as well as babies, some of them still living. Little or no loss of life was reported on the American side.[1]
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