To avoid being returned to the Klamath Reservation during the Modoc War of 1873, Capt. Jack led his band of 50 warriors and more than 100 women and children to an extremely rough lava flow on the southern shore of Tule Lake, Calif. The Modocs managed to hold off the U.S. Army for five months.
From rough lava troughs, jagged outcroppings and hidden caves, Modoc fighters cut down the army whenever they advanced. Col. Frank Wheaton said, “One of our men was wounded twice during the day, but did not see an Indian.” During a foggy January attack, 37 troops died without the loss of a single Modoc.
In April, 600 soldiers cut off the Modocs’ water supply and pounded their position with mortars and howitzers. After two days, the army overran the stronghold, but found it empty. The 160 Modocs had disappeared during the night. Capt. Jack eventually surrendered and was hanged for killing a general and other officers during peace negotiations.
The stronghold remains intact at the Lava Beds National Monument in Northern California, where two loop trails take visitors through lava outposts, defense lines and firing positions. Everything is just As It Was 136 years ago.
Today’s episode of As It Was was written by Ron Bolt, the program producer is Raymond Scully. I’m Shirley Patton. As It Was is a co-production of JPR and the Southern Oregon Historical Society. To share stories or learn more about the series, visit asitwas – dot.org
Sources: Juillerat, Lee. Captain Jack’s Stronghold Historic Trail. Tulelake, Calif., Lava Beds Natural History Association, 1992; National Park Service. Five Views: An Ethnic Historic Site Survey for California. California Department of Parks and Recreation, Office of Historic Preservation, 1988; Online URL:http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/5views/5views1h11.htm; National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, Lava Beds National Monument. “The Modoc Way;" National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, Lava Beds National Monument. “A Brief History of the Modoc War.”