A small tribe of Indians, closely related to the Klamath, who formerly lived in southwest Oregon. Although they came in contact with the white man later than did most Indians, they acquired an unfortunate reputation because of the frequent conflicts with the white immigrants and the atrocities committed on both sides.
They are mainly noted for their remarkable defensive action in the so called Modoc War. This was a war fought among the lava beds on the California frontier in 1872 and 1873 when the United States troops tried to round up a band of Modoc Indians and return them to their reservation. The Modoc, led by chief Kintpuash, known to the whites as Captain jack, were endeavoring to reach their former homes in the Lost River Valley, Oregon.
Between January and April, 1873, a small band of Modoc, entrenched in the lava beds, fought off a superior force of soldiers. Finally a group of peace commissioners found their way into the Modoc camp, but General E. S. Canby and another white man were treacherously slain. One commissioner's life was saved by an Indian girl. Toby Riddle.
After the Indians' defeat, Kintpuash and five others were hanged.
A California county is named for them and places called Modoc are to be found in Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Ohio, South Carolina, Illinois, and Indiana. There is a Modoc Point in Oregon and Kansas, and the Modoc lava Beds in California.
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