Hanford, California: 1880 Mussel Slough Tragedy
The railroad tussled with settlers about land titles on May 11, 1880 in what's called the Mussel Slough Tragedy, resulting in a shootout that left 7 people dead. It inspired popular muckraking stories and books mythologizing the struggle between big business and the common man.
- Address:
- 5827 14th Ave., Hanford, CA
- Directions:
- Historical marker NW of town, north of Flint Ave. on 14th Ave.
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California Historical Landmark #245: "Mussel Slough Tragedy - Here on May 11, 1880, during a dispute over land titles between settlers and railroad, a fight broke out in which seven men-two deputy U.S. marshals and five ranchers lost their lives. The legal struggle over titles was finally settled by a compromise."
[Pamela L, 08/11/2020]
3-way argument between land owners and the railroad resulted in 7 deaths. Frank Norris' 1901 novel, The Octopus: A Story of California, was inspired by this incident, as was W. C. Morrow's 1882 novel Blood-Money.
[Kim Wheeler, 04/29/2013]Nearby Offbeat Places
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