Editing Lakeport, California (section)

==History==
Former names include '''Forbestown''', '''Rocky Point''', '''Stony Point''', '''Tuckertown''', and '''Kaci-Badon'''.

Lakeport was first settled by [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indians]] several thousand years ago. At the coming of the [[settler]]s, the Kabe-napos, a subtribe of the [[Pomo|Pomo people]], lived here within their main village. The village name was Kaci-Badon, after the [[Nymphaeaceae|water lily]] plant ''Kaci'', and ''badon'', which was the native name for 'island'.<ref>"History of Clear Lake, Mt. Konocti and the Lake County Cattle Industry" by Henry K. Mauldin 1960</ref>

The first business in Lakeport was established in 1855, trading goods to the local Indians in exchange for their wares and baskets. The business was run by a man named Johnson, but he did not have a store location. The first shop built in the Lakeport area was constructed by Dr. Boynton.

It was William Forbes and James Parrish, however, who created the first shop in the main Lakeport area. Parish was a [[blacksmith]] and Forbes was a wagon maker. Forbes was also a pioneer undertaker. It was this investment as well as the land grant Forbes bestowed upon the county, which earned Lakeport its first name: Forbestown.

William Forbes came to the area in 1858. He purchased {{convert|160|acre|km2|1}} on which to build his home and farm. When the county was investigating land to put the local county seat, Forbes offered {{convert|40|acre|m2}} of his property on which they could build the county office. The electorate thanked Forbes for his generosity by naming the town after him. Although the town no longer bears his name, other landmarks still retain their name association to him.

On June 14, 1861, Forbestown was officially renamed to Lakeport. Some locations still bear the Forbes name, however, such as [[Forbes Creek (California)|Forbes Creek]] and Forbes Street.

In 1850, Captain [[Nathaniel Lyon]] led an attack in the [[Bloody Island Massacre]]. Lyon later died fighting for the Union in the Civil War.<ref>"[[History]] of Lake County 1881" by Henry Hudson 1881.</ref>

The first post office, called Big Valley, opened at the site in 1858, and changed its name to Lakeport in 1861.<ref name=CGN />

The first Lakeport courthouse was built of wood in 1861. The building burnt under suspicious circumstances in 1867.

In 1864, the [[Cache Creek (Sacramento River)|Cache Creek]] Dam was built.  Four years later, the locals tore down the dam and destroyed the mills it helped operate, after waters diverted by the dam flooded most of Lower Lake and Anderson Ranch.<ref>"A Description of Lake County California" published by Authority of the Board of Supervisors, 1888</ref>

In 1872, a sighting of the legendary "Monster of Blue Lakes" or "Devil Fish" caused Indians from all around to gather at Temescal to await an expected calamity.

In 1882, [[Black Bart (outlaw)|Black Bart]] robbed the stagecoach traveling between Lakeport and [[Cloverdale, California|Cloverdale]]. During this time period, over 450 Chinese immigrants were employed to work the area's [[Mercury (element)|quicksilver]] mines.

In 1883, William "Digger" Jones was hanged at Lakeport [[prison|jail]]. He was wrongfully hanged two days after the sheriff had received a pardon for him.

In 1888, Lakeport was incorporated. For nearly a century, it was the only incorporated city in Lake County.

In 1892, Lakeport got its first [[telephone]].