Thousands of indigenous people lived unmolested in northwestern California for 8,000 years. In 1849, miners found gold in the Trinity River causing thousands of Americans to flock to Humboldt Bay. They spread inland and exterminated every Indian they came across. The war lasted 15 years. Very few Indians were left. A surviving Indian determined to spread the word of this genocide to America entered UC Berkeley to hone his skills of persuasion. Authorities attempted to cover up his work.