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1875 - Report Of Chas. A. Wetmore, Commissioner Of Mission Indians Of Southern California

California Indians and USA

The 1875 report concerning the character of the Indians, as well as their conditions and wants, provides a review of their history beginning with the establishment of the missions by Spain and the mission successes from 1769-1833. The report addresses the impact of Mexican Independence in 1822 and the issuance of private grants to “land grabbers,” particularly upon the passing of a bill to secularize the missions and introduced for the ostensible purpose of carrying out the original design of the missions. The Commissioner described the bill as the “pretext … covered very thinly a scheme to rob the Indians” …