Tecopa (c. 1815–1904) was a Native American leader; his name means wildcat. Tecopa was a leader of the Southern

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

tribe of the Paiute in the

Ash Meadows The Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge is a protected wildlife refuge located in the Amargosa Valley of southern Nye County, in southwestern Nevada. It is directly east of Death Valley National Park, and is west-northwest of Las Vegas.

and Pahrump areas. In the 1840s Tecopa and his warriors engaged the expedition of Kit Carson and

John C. Fremont John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

in a three-day battle at

Resting Springs Resting Springs are historical springs in Inyo County, California Inyo County () is a county in the eastern central part of the U.S. state of California, located between the Sierra Nevada and the state of Nevada. In the 2020 census, the po ...

. Later on in life Tecopa tried to maintain peaceful relations with the white settlers to the region and was known as a peacemaker. Tecopa usually wore a bright red band suit with gold braid and a silk top hat. Whenever these clothes wore out they were replaced by the local white miners out of gratitude for Tecopa's help in maintaining peaceful relations with the Paiute.
Tecopa is buried with his son and grandson at the Chief Tecopa Cemetery in the

Pahrump Valley Pahrump Valley is a Mojave Desert valley west of Las Vegas and the Spring Mountains massif in southern Nye County, Nevada, and eastern San Bernardino County, California. Pahrump, Nevada, is in the valley's center and the Tecopa and Chicago Valley ...

, Nevada. The

Census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

Tecopa, California Tecopa (formerly Brownsville) is a census-designated place (CDP) in the Mojave Desert, in Inyo County, California, United States. Tecopa is located south-southeast of Shoshone, at an elevation of . The population was 150 at the 2010 census, u ...

was named after Tecopa by J. B. Osbourne who was the operator of a mining camp at the location. In November 1971, Nevada Governor Mike O'Callaghan called Tecopa a leader of vision and courage and dedicated a state memorial to him at the Chief's gravesite. of land were deeded to Nye County and became Tecopa Park.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tecopa (Paiute leader) Native American leaders 1810s births 1904 deaths