Sagebrush War

The Sagebrush War (also known as the Boundary War, the War of Injunctions or the Roop County War) was an armed conflict between the California county of Plumas and the now-defunct Nevada County of Roop over the jurisdiction of Lake Honey Valley and Susanville, California.

In 1850, John C. Fremont chose the 120th meridian west as California's eastern boundary. However, because no survey had thus far been done, most assumed this line just tracked the crest of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

So too did the citizens. Some believed they were too far east to be a part of California and had thus founded their own state, Nataqua, in 1856. Still others refused to pay taxes to Plumas County officials when they would appear to collect, claiming their land was in Nevada, and when Nevada officials appeared vice-versa. However, as the settlement grew in Lake Honey Valley, both California and Nevada saw the lack of taxes in the area as an increasingly unacceptable situation and newer settlers were more sympathetic toward Plumas and California authorities, for need of public school funds and protection against Native Americans.

With overlapping jurisdictions, judges and justices began issuing orders attempting to override the other's elected authority. Hon. John S. Ward, probate judge of Roop County, was first to issue an injunction restraining William J. Young, a justice of the peace for Plumas County, from exercising his official functions. Refusing, he was fined $100 for contempt of court.

In retaliation, Hon E. T. Hogan ordered the arrest by two sheriffs of Ward and one other judge from Roop after they continued to exercise jurisdiction over Lake Honey Valley. When the Plumas County sheriff E.H. Pierce and his deputy J.D. Byers arrived, they were at first confronted by the Roop County deputy sheriff, who held in his hand an injunction restraining them. Byers wasted no time snatching it from him, for which he was arrested (and later set free thanks to the sympathy of a local lawyer and the negligence of the judge who didn't sign the warrant) In the end, Pierce and Byers were both successful in their arrests and on their way out of town. However, Deputy Sheriff Byers was late to depart, allowing former Governor Isaac Roop to overtake him. Neither was particularly pleased with the sight of the other and they almost reached a shooting point when Francis Langiar, owner of the property, said (or so he claims), "Gentlemen, remember that you are both Masons." With this, Roop allowed Byers up the road, but not long later he was back with seven armed men to capture the deputy (prisoner still in tow) and haul them back to town.

...
Wikipedia