The Cahuilla are a group of Native Americans that have inhabited California for more than 2000 years, originally covering an area of about 2,400 square miles (6,200 km²). An Aani (Atsina) named Assiniboin Boy. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ...

Evidence shows that when the Cahuilla first moved into the area a large body of water now called Lake Cahuilla was in existence, which confirms oral legends. Fed by the Colorado River, it dried up sometime before 1600 when the river changed course. In 1905 a break in a levee created the much smaller Salton Sea in the same location. Prehistoric Lake Cahuilla (also known as Lake LeConte and Blake Sea) was an extensive freshwater lake that filled the Coachella, Imperial, and Mexicali valleys of southeastern California and northeastern Baja California during the centuries prior to Spanish entry into the region. ... The Colorado River from the bottom of Marble Canyon, in the Upper Grand Canyon Colorado River in the Grand Canyon from Desert View The Colorado River is a river in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately 1,450 mi (2,330 km) long, draining a part of the... 1597 1598 1599 - 1600 - 1601 1602 1603 |- | align=center colspan=2 | Decades: 1570s 1580s 1590s - 1600s - 1610s 1620s 1630s |- | align=center | Centuries: 15th century - 16th century - 17th century |} // Events January January 1 - Scotland adopts January 1st as being New Years Day February February 17 - Giordano Bruno burned at the... 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The Salton Sea (with local/regional cities) The Salton Sea is an inland saline lake, located in the Colorado Desert in Southern California, north of the Imperial Valley. ...

The Cahuilla have been historically (and artificially) divided into "Mountain," "Desert," and "Pass" groups by anthropologists. There are 9 reservations in Southern California: Agua Caliente, Augustine, Cabazon, Cahuilla, Los Coyotes, Morongo, Ramona, Santa Rosa, and Torres Martinez.

Their language is of the Uto-Aztecan family. A 1990 census revealed 35 speakers in an ethnic population of 800. It is nearly extinct, since most speakers are middle-aged or older. The Uto-Aztecan languages are a Native American language family. ...

History

The first encounter with Europeans was in 1774 when Juan Bautista de Anza was looking for a trade route between Sonora, Mexico and Monterey, California. Living far inland, Cahuillas had little contact with Spanish soldiers or European civilians and Priests, many of whom saw the desert as having little or no value but rather a place to avoid. They learned of Mission life from Indians living close to Missions in San Gabriel and San Diego. Juan Bautista de Anza Bezerra Nieto (July 1736 - December 19, 1788) was a Novo-Spanish explorer for the Spanish Empire. ... Sonora is a state in northwestern Mexico, bordering the states of Chihuahua to the east, Sinaloa to the south, and Baja California to the northwest. ... Flag Seal Nickname: The Cradle of History, Californias First City Location Location of Monterey, California Government County Monterey Mayor Dan Albert Geographical characteristics Area     City 11. ... San Gabriel (the Spanish name of the Archangel Gabriel) could mean one of several places: San Gabriel, Ecuador San Gabriel, Durango, Mexico San Gabriel, Guanajuato, Mexico San Gabriel, Jalisco, Mexico San Gabriel, California, USA San Gabriel Chilac, Puebla, Mexico San Gabriel Mixtepec, Oaxaca, Mexico San Gabriel Valley, California, USA This... Flag Seal Nickname: Americas Finest City Location Location of San Diego within San Diego County Coordinates , Government County San Diego Mayor City Attorney         City Council District One District Two District Three District Four District Five District Six District Seven District Eight Jerry Sanders (R) Michael Aguirre Scott Peters Kevin...

The Cahuilla first came in contact with Anglo/Americans in the 1840s. Juan Antonio, leader of the Cahuilla Mountain band, gave traveler Daniel Sexton access to areas near the San Gorgonio Pass in 1842. The Mountain Band also lent support to a U.S. Army expedition led by then Lieutenant Edward Fitzgerald Beale, defending the party against attacks by Wakara and his band of Ute warriors. During the 1850s, the Cahuilla came under increasing pressure due to the California Gold Rush. In addition to the influx of Anglo-American miners, ranchers and outlaws, and groups of Mormon colonists, the Cahuilla came into conflict with the neighboring Cupeño tribe to the west. When the California Senate refused to ratify an 1852 treaty granting the Cahuilla control of their lands, tribal leaders, including Antonio, resorted to attacks on settlers. The San Gorgonio Pass (elevation 2600 feet) cuts between the San Bernardino Mountains on the north and the San Jacinto Mountains to the south. ... The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... US Brigadier General Edward Fitzgerald Ned Beale (February 4, 1822 - April 22, 1893) is best known for his carrying out former Secretary of War Jefferson Davis Camel Corps experiment in the Coachella Valley of California. ... Chief Wakara (also Walkara or Walker) (ca. ... The Utes (/juːts/; yoots) are an ethnically related group of American Indians now living primarily in Utah and Colorado. ... The California Gold Rush (1848-1855) was the first “world-class gold rush. ... Cupeño. ...

There may have been as many as 10,000 Cahuillas before contact with the Europeans who, in 1862, brought a smallpox epidemic. Only about 2,500 survived. 1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Smallpox (also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera) was a highly contagious viral disease unique to humans. ...

To encourage the railroad, the U.S. government subdivided the lands into one mile square sections, giving the Indians every other section. In 1877 the government established reservation boundaries which left the Cahuillas with only a small portion of their traditional territories.

Current status

Today, Palm Springs and the surrounding areas are experiencing rapid development. The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians is an important player in the local economy, operating an array of business enterprises, including land leasing, hotel and casino operations, and banking. Palm Springs is a famed Riverside County, California, desert resort city, approximately 110 miles east of Los Angeles. ...

The Morongo Band of Mission Indians operates the Morongo Casino Resort and Spa as well as the Hadley Fruit Orchards in Cabazon. The Morongo Casino is one of the largest casinos in the United States. The Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa (or Casino Morongo) is a casino located in Cabazon, California near San Gorgonio Pass. ... A panorama of the Cabazon Dinos Cabazon is a census-designated place located in Riverside County, California. ...

External links

• Home page Agua Caliente Band
• Cahuilla entry in the Encyclopedia of North American Indians

References

• Lowell John Bean, Mukat's People: The Cahuilla Indians of Southern California (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1972);
• Lowell John Bean, Sylvia Vane, and Jackson Young, The Cahuilla Landscape: The Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains (Menlo Park, Calif.: Ballena Press, 1991);
• Harry C. James, The Cahuilla Indians (Banning, Calif.: Malki Museum Press, 1969).