MENDOCINO Co., 9/12/22 — The annual walk along the 100 mile Nome Cult Trail began on Sunday, September 11 in Chico, and will continue until the walkers arrive in Round Valley on September 17. The walk commemorates the forced relocation of 461 tribal members, who were made to traverse a similar route over two weeks, ultimately ending with 277 survivors in Round Valley on September 18, 1863.
Motorists and other visitors to the Mendocino National Forest are advised to watch out for walkers along M4, County Road 55 and FH7 into Eel River Station and Covelo this week to ensure their safety. The walkers will be stopping in Newville Cemetery, Black Bear Campground, Log Springs, Wells Cabin, and then to the Eel River and ultimately the Round Valley Indian Reservation.
Here’s the announcement from the United States Forest Service:
WILLOWS, Calif., Sept. 12, 2022— The annual Nome Cult walk from Chico to Round Valley began on Sunday, Sept. 11. The 100-mile trek follows the route that Indians were forced to march from Chico to the Nome Cult Reservation in 1863. Descendants of Native Americans who took part in the original relocation and other supporters walk the route each year. Although the path itself has disappeared, this route is now called the Nome Cult Trail.
Forest officials advise visitors and motorists along the trail route – M4, County Road 55 and FH7 into Eel River Station and Covelo – to be mindful of the event this week and ensure the safety of those walking the Nome Cult Trail.
The planned schedule is:
- Sunday, Sept. 11, Begin walk toward Orland
- Monday, Sept. 12, Walk toward Newville Cemetery
- Tuesday, Sept. 13, Walk to Black Bear Campground
- Wednesday, Sept. 14, Continue to Log Springs
- Thursday, Sept. 15, Walk to Wells Cabin
- Friday, Sept. 16, Walk to Eel River
- Saturday, Sept. 17, Finish walk to Round Valley Indian Reservation
The removal of Indians from Chico to the Nome Cult Reservation in 1863 is one of the many forced relocations following the establishment of reservations in northern California in the 1850s. Several different tribes were moved to the Nome Cult Reservation after it was established in Round Valley in 1856.