The Owens Valley War was fought between 1862 and 1863, by California Volunteers and local settlers against the Owens Valley Paiutes, and their Shoshone and Kawaiisu allies, in the Owens Valley of California and the southwestern Nevada border region. The removal of a large number of the Owens River Native Californians to Fort Tejon in 1863, was considered the end of the war. Minor hostilities continued occasionally until 1867. Origins of the conflict During the winter of 1861–1862, in the Owens Valley, the storms that produced the Great Flood of 1862 resulted in snow and flooding conditions in the surrounding mountains and as far to the east as the Mono County seat at Aurora. There had been light snowfall in November, then mild weather until Christmas Eve when it began a heavy and rapid snowfall for days, the temperature dropped below zero and the passes over the Sierra were closed. During the second week of January it warmed slightly and the snow became a torrential rain. Creeks overflowed their banks, flooding low-lying areas. After a week it cooled again and snow began to fall. Within a few days the snow was deeper than it had been before the rains had begun to fall. Samuel Young of Aurora, recorded in his diary that the snow and rain had fallen for twenty six days out of thirty since December 24, 1861. This cold weather and flooding resulted in the local Paiute suffering the loss of much of the game they depended on. Additionally, the cattle driven into the Owens Valley in 1861 to feed the Aurora miners, competed with the native grazers. They also ate the native wild plant crops the Paiute irrigated and depended on as a staple to survive. Starving, the Paiute began to kill the cattle and conflict with the cattlemen began, leading to the subsequent Owens Valley Indian War. Events, skirmishes and battles of the Owens Valley Indian War Beginning of hostilities Thompson - Crossen Incident San Francis Ranch peace conference - January 31, 1862 McGee Brothers cattle drive - Feb. 1862 Van Fleet - Shondow Fight - Taylor Cabin Fight - Threatened settlers concentrated their herds north of Owens Lake at the meadows on Oak Creek. They then sent messages for help to Aurora, county seat of nearby Mono County, and Visalia, county seat of their own Tulare County, over the Sierra Nevada mountains, for help. Colonel