Battle of Bishop Creek was one of the early engagements of the Owens Valley Indian War fought on April 6 , 1862 along Bishop Creek , in what is now Inyo County , California . In 1861 , cattle were being driven over the Sierra Nevada Mountains to feed the mining boom town of Aurora . Some cattlemen had begun ranching nearby in the Owens Valley . The consequences of the disastrous winter caused by the Great Flood of 1862 and the encroachment of the cattle on the food supply of the Owens Valley Paiute led to the threat of starvation for them . They were forced to take cattle to feed themselves . This led to a conflict with these ranchers in several incidents . Despite a meeting and an attempt at peace between the two sides , that peace broke down in further incidents and broke into open warfare , that became known as the Owens Valley Indian War . Threatened settlers concentrated their herds 30 miles ( 48 km ) north of Owens Lake at the meadows on Oak Creek . They then sent messages for help to Aurora , then the county seat of nearby Mono County , and to Visalia , county seat of their own Tulare County , over the Sierra 's mountains , for help . William Mayfield led a band of Tulare County militiamen to the aid of the settlers there . John J. Kellogg , a former Army captain led 18 men from Aurora to aid the settlers
Great Flood of 1862
Great Flood of 1862
Battle of Bishop Creek