The discovery of gold dust in the black sands along Whiskey Run Beach north of the Coquille River in 1853 drew hordes of miners to the South Coast beaches. When the weather and tides curtailed sluicing, the idle miners—many who openly advocated exterminating all Indians—formed into “volunteer militias” to harass the local tribes. Volunteer militias here and in the interior valleys hoped to take advantage of laws that allowed them to petition the government for reimbursement of expenses incurred when "defending" their settlements against Indians.