Captain Jack's Stronghold is a natural lava fortress on the edge of the Tule Lake Basin where a small band of Modoc held off the U.S. Army through the winter of 1872 to 1873. Its trenches and collapse caves made it defensible against a much larger force.
Details
- Type
- Historic Site
- Accessibility
- Limited accessibility
A fortress of lava
The stronghold sits on an old lava flow broken by deep trenches and small caves. About 150 Modoc men, women, and children lived here for five months of the Modoc War, including the harsh winter. Roughly 50 to 60 Modoc fighters used the cover of the rock to turn back attacks by an army that numbered as many as 1,000 troops at its peak.
The war here
The Modoc defended this ground through two major assaults before scarce water and food forced them out. After leaving the stronghold, they were pursued across the lava country and eventually defeated. Captain Jack, the Modoc leader known to settlers by that name, surrendered on June 1, 1873.
Walking the site
Two self-guided loops, about 0.5 and 1.5 miles, run through the trenches. A medicine pole marks the junction of the trails, where prayer ribbons and sage offerings are sometimes left by Modoc descendants, whose communities continue in Oregon and Oklahoma. The footing is rough rock, and high winds are common.