Prior to the arrival of Europeans in the region, varying cultures ofNative Americans inhabited the county for thousands of years. At the time of European encounter, theModoc people lived in what is now northern California, nearLost River andTule Lake. The county was named after them.[6]: 216 TheAchomawi (or Pit River Indians, for which thePit River is named), and thePaiute also lived in the area.[6]: 216 To the north were theKlamath in present-day Oregon.
The northern boundary of California, and eventually Modoc County, had been established as the 42nd parallel since the time of Mexican possession. In the absence of a reliable survey of the 120th meridian, the eastern boundary of northern California was a subject of contention before Modoc County formed. TheTerritory of Utah requested jurisdiction to the summit of theSierra Nevada. At the time, theWarner Mountains were believed to be a part of the Sierra Nevada, so this would have includedSurprise Valley, but California denied the request.[7]: 76–77
In 1856, the residents ofHoney Lake Valley reckoned the 120th meridian to be west of their valley, placing them in Utah territory, and attempted to secede and form a territory they calledNataqua. Nataqua would have included Modoc County.[8] In 1858, theTerritory of Nevada, with its capital now in Carson City, seceded from Utah, and assumed jurisdiction to the summit of the Sierra Nevada until the 120th meridian was surveyed in 1863.[7]: 76–77 After Nevada was granted statehood in 1864, the region of current Modoc County was placed within jurisdiction ofShasta County, California, andSiskiyou County was, in turn, generated from Shasta County in 1852.[9]
Increasing traffic on the emigrant trail, unprovoked militia raids on innocent Modoc, and a cycle of retaliatory raids increased a cycle of violence between settlers and the tribes in the area.[6]: 217 In 1864, the Klamath, Modoc and Yahooskin band of theShoshone signed a treaty ceding lands in both Oregon and California, and the tribes were colocated on the Klamath Reservation. Harassed by the Klamath, traditional competitors, a band of Modoc led byCaptain Jack returned to California and the Tule Lake area.
TheModoc War orLava Beds War of 1872–73 brought nationwide attention to the Modoc. From strong defensive positions in thelava tubes, 52 Modoc warriors held off hundreds of US Army forces, who called in artillery to help.[6]: 218–219 Peace talks in 1873 stalled when the Modoc wanted their own reservation in California. Warriors urged killing the peace commissioners, thinking the Americans would then leave, and Captain Jack and others shot and killed GeneralEdward Canby and Rev. Eleazer Thomas, as well as wounding others. More Army troops were called in to lay siege to Captain Jack's Stronghold.[10] Dissension arose, and some Modoc surrendered. Finally, most were captured, and those responsible for the assassinations were tried and executed. More than 150 Modoc were transported to Indian Territory as prisoners of war.[6]: 219 The area has since been designated theLava Beds National Monument.
Settlement of the county began in earnest in the 1870s, with the timber, gold, agriculture, and railroad industries bringing most of the settlers into the area. The county was a crossroads for theLassen Applegate Trail, which brought settlers north from Nevada to theOregon Trail and south to trails leading into California's central valley. Early settlers included the Dorris, Belli, Essex, Scherer, Trumbo, Flournoy, Polander, Rice and Campbell families.
Modoc County was formed when GovernorNewton Booth signed an Act of the California Legislature on February 17, 1874, after residents of theSurprise Valley region lobbied for the creation of a new county from eastern Siskiyou County land.[6]: 216 The county residents considered naming the newly formed county after Canby, whom the Modoc had killed the previous year in an ambush at peace talks. The name Summit was also considered, but the populace eventually settled on Modoc. The war was over and 153 of Captain Jack's band had been transported toIndian Territory as prisoners.[9]
The Dorris Bridge post office opened in 1871[11] and was renamed Dorrisville in 1874. Due to its central location, it became the county seat when Modoc County formed that year, although bothAdin andCedarville were larger towns.[7]: 84 In 1876, it was renamed Alturas, Spanish for "The Heights".[12] The 1880 census showed a population of 148. Settlement continued for the next 20 years, until the city was officially incorporated on September 16, 1901 (the county's only incorporated city).
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, Modoc County spans a total area of 4,203 square miles (10,890 km2), of which 3,918 square miles (10,150 km2) is land, with 286 square miles (740 km2) (6.8%) water.[13] There are 2.25 persons per square mile, making Modoc one of theleast-populated counties in the state of California. In terms of its county lines, Modoc is one of the only nearly-rectangular counties in California; a slight deviation occurs around theTule Lake National Wildlife Refuge.
Geologically, Modoc County is quite unique. The area's tumultuousseismic past has set the stage for a productive, diverse regionalecology today; a richsoil composition, largely created by ancientvolcanoes dispersing vast amounts ofminerals, stands out from the typically bland, clay-heavy terrain common in the American west. To the northwest of the county liesMedicine Lake—the largestshield volcano on theU.S. West Coast—andLava Beds National Monument. In west Modoc County is the massiveGlass Mountain, another ancientlava flow. The southwestern quadrant of the county is a uniqueecosystem of isolated hardwoods (oaks) and volcanic mountains with intermountain river valleys.
Below the rim of the plateau, in the extreme southwest corner of the county, are Big Valley and Warm Springs Valley, which form the bottom of the Pit River watershed that flows through the county. The Pit River's northern and southernforks come together just south of Alturas; the river collects hundreds of other smallcreeks on its trajectory south towardsShasta Lake, where it joins theSacramento River and ultimately drains intoSan Francisco Bay. The eastern edge of the county is dominated by the Warner Mountains. The Pit River originates in this mountain range. Hundreds of alpine lakes dot the range, all of which are fed by snowmelt and natural springs. East of the Warner Range isSurprise Valley and the western edge of theGreat Basin.
Hot springs and lava caves are unique to Modoc County. There is potential for somegeothermal energy resources in the county, though the viability is highly variable.
Modoc County, California – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
U.S. Decennial Census[34] 1790–1960[35] 1900–1990[36] 1990–2000[37] 2010–2015[2]
As of thecensus[38] of 2000, there were 9,449 people, 3,784 households, and 2,550 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 2 people per square mile (0.77 people/km2). There were 4,807 housing units at an average density of 1 units per square mile (0.39 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 85.9%White, 0.7%Black orAfrican American, 4.2%American Indian, 0.6%Asian, 0.1%Pacific Islander, 5.7% fromother races, and 2.8% from two or more races. 11.5% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race. The largest ethnicity/ancestry groups in Modoc county include: 15%English, 14%Irish and 13%German of whom 90.4% spokeEnglish and 8.8%Spanish as their first language.
There were 3,784 households, out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.6% weremarried couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.91. In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.6% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.7 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $27,522, and the median income for a family was $35,978. Males had a median income of $30,538 versus $23,438 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $17,285. About 16.4% of families and 21.5% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 29.7% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over. Modoc County has thelowest median household income of any county in California. In 2005, the median home price reached $100,000 for the first time ever, over a 40% increase since 2000.[5] Much of this can be traced to an influx of residents from other parts of the state, who find the housing bargains attractive. Some of these are retirees who have sold their houses for large profits in other parts of the state, using the proceeds to live on, while others areremote workers. This sudden rise in housing prices become unaffordable for locals, who find themselves unable to purchase homes given their limited incomes.[5]
Recently, though, Modoc County has trended Republican, becoming one of the most conservative counties in the state. On November 4, 2008, Modoc County delivered the most lopsided vote in favor ofJohn McCain of any county in California, with 67.4% of voters opting for the Republican. The county also voted 74.2% in favor of Proposition 8 which amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriages; onlyKern andTulare counties voted in higher proportion, both opting for the Proposition with 75.4% of the vote.[44] In the2021 California gubernatorial recall election, Modoc and neighboringLassen County voted the most strongly in favor of recalling Newsom of any counties in the state. On September 24, 2013, the Modoc County Board of Supervisors voted 4–0 in favor ofsecession from California to form a proposed state namedJefferson.[45]
Additionally, the eastern Modoc County communities ofEagleville,Cedarville,Lake City, andFort Bidwell are connected via Surprise Valley Road, which runs from the southern county line to the Oregon border.
^ab"Modoc County History".Alturas Chamber of Commerce. Modoc County Government. 2009. Archived fromthe original on June 17, 2009. RetrievedJuly 21, 2009.
^Durham, David L. (1998).California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, California: Word Dancer Press. p. 351.ISBN1-884995-14-4.
^Gudde, Erwin; William Bright (2004).California Place Names (Fourth ed.). University of California Press. p. 10.ISBN0-520-24217-3.
^abcdefghijklmnopqU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001.U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
^abU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B03003.U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
^abU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19301.U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
^abU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19013.U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
^abU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19113.U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
^abU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
^U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B01003.U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
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