This Day…

1887-Ike Clanton was shot and killed while resisting arrest by Deputies Brighton and Miller at Wilson’s Ranch on the Blue River.

1870-Red Cloud visits President Grant in Washington D.C.

1863-Gold is discovered in the Idaho Territory by Bill Fairweather and outlaw John Wesley Harding is born in Bonham, Texas.

1868-Kit Carson dies at the age of 59.

1871-William F. Cody is awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery in the battle against the Indians on April 26.

1851-San Francisco is in a state of rebuild after the fifth fire since the discovery of Gold destroyed 70 percent of the city.

1856-The ship carrying camels for the U.S. Army’s experiment docks at Indianola, Texas.

1853-The head of bandit Joaquin Murieta is pickled in whisky and sent on a national tour with the hand of Manuel “Three Fingered Jack.”

1869-The Golden Spike was driven at Promontory Point, Utah signifying the completion of the transcontinental railroad even though there are no bridges spanning the Missouri River.

1824-Texas and Coahuila are organized as one of the states of the Mexican Federal Republic, now the single most important rival to U.S. dominance of North America.  Thousands of Americans have already settled in this area.