American Indian Trails of the West

Modoc History on the California-Oregon BorderDiscover the proud history of the Modoc tribe, from Lava Beds to Crater Lake. The harsh alarm cry of the peregrine falcon echoes across the bleak, jagged lava lands of northern California, known today as Lava Beds National Monument. The former geological turmoil of the land was matched in 1872-’73 by the chaos of the six-month Modoc War. A small group of Modoc Indians, numbering some 55 warriors along with their women and children, took a stand agai