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JOHN CHRISTOPHER WOOD
The John Wood family had many hardships to face in the
early years but the hardest to bear were the deaths of
two of their children. The Indians did not want the family
living in the area and tried to get them to leave. And as
the family tells it, they wouldn't leave, so the Indians
decided to kill them. The method used was poisoned
squirrel, presented as a gift of "peace". It was accepted
by the family as such, and was cooked for the evening
meal. The whole family became quite ill, and finally on
July 5, 1869, the little girl
Margaret Ellen Wood died and
the following day her baby brother John Walter Wood,
who was only 18 months old died also from the
poisoning. Their graves were the first in the cemetery at
Fort Goff and was the beginning of the community
cemetery. Another Daughter, Cora Belle Wood was
buried there in 1882. The rest of the children lived to
maturity, to marry and leave many decendants. Fort Goff
Cemetery is located on the Klamath River in California.
Information taken from the 1966 "Siskiyou Pioneer"
Yearbook. Excerpts by Alvene Briggs.
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