Thomas Pearson and John Sutherland were dairy farmers at Red Rock, located north of Reno. In 1867 they took up a claim on the east side of Honey Lake, then known as Lower Hot Springs (Amedee). It seemed like an ideal location for their purposes since snowfall was minimal during the winter months.

In the middle of April 1868 Pearson and Sutherland were eager to return to their old home at Red Rock. The relationship with the Indians had become quite tense. During the winter two Indians had been killed near their place and during March, their neighbor J.L. Crow of Upper Hot Springs (Wendel) had horses driven away by the Indians. Then there was an entirely unrelated issue caused from an unusually wet winter. The waters of Honey Lake were rising so rapidly they feared their cabin would soon be inudated.

On the morning of April 17, 1868 John Sutherland and Henry Bereman herded the livestock towards Red Rock. Pearson, in the meantime, went to the Hamilton Ranch (Fleming Unit, Fish &Game), seven miles away to obtain some assistance. Pearson’s wife and daughter, Hattie, remained at the cabin to finish packing. Pearson succeeded in a borrowing a man, Samuel Cooper, and a wagon to assist in the move.

It was in the afternoon that Pearson and Cooper had the wagons loaded and proceeded on their journey. The ground the wagons were traveling upon was soft and moist. They had barely gone a mile before one of the wagons became stuck. It was then the Pearson family and Samuel Cooper were massacred by the Indians.

John Wollenburg, an employee of the Hamilton Ranch, had been in the vicinity herding sheep. Wollenburg was alerted by gun shots and the women screaming. He rushed to his tent only to discover his guns had been stolen. The Indians had spotted Wollenburg and began to pursue him, but Wollenburg was fortunate enough to have a good distance from the Indians and escaped by running eight miles to the Sharp ranch to get help.

When Wollenburg arrived at the Sharp ranch only, Mrs. Lurana Sharp was there. She rushed to the neighbors seeking assistance. A group of men were assembled and went to investigate what Wollenburg had stated. It was evening when they arrived at Wollenburg’s tent, where they found Cooper’s body. With night fall approaching, men fearful of an attack, returned to their homes. The next morning, they set out again and found the bodies of the Pearson family. They brought the victims to Susanville where Samuel Cooper was buried. The remains of the Pearson family were shipped to Sacramento for burial by their relatives.

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