In Sacramento’s infancy, the legality of land titles and property were often questioned. Newcomers to Sacramento City were displeased by John Sutter’s land claims and also the land claims of speculators who purchased property from Sutter. Many squatted on land near the city as there was often no affordable lodging. Many also thought John Sutter’s New Helvetia land grant that he received from the Mexican government in 1841 did not include the land of what would become Sacramento City, which meant those who bought from Sutter did not have proper title. On August 14, 1850, Charles Robinson and Joseph Maloney organized a group of about 40 squatters and marched through Sacramento City in response to the court’s writ of restitution to seize the property that a squatter named John T. Madden was unlawfully occupying. The squatters were confronted at the corner of 4th and J Streets by Mayor Hardin Bigelow and a force seeking to stop the squatters. Bigelow ordered the squatters to relinquish t...