Modoc County () is a
county
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
located in the far northeast corner of the
U.S. state of
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. Its population is 8,700 as of the 2020 census, down from 9,686 from the 2010 census. This makes it California's third-least-populous county. The
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
and only incorporated city is
Alturas.
Previous County seats include
Lake City and
Centerville. The county borders
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
and
Oregon
Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
. Much of Modoc County is
federal land. Several federal agencies, including the
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency within the United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 United States National Forest, national forests and 20 United States Natio ...
,
Bureau of Land Management,
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...
,
Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States List of United States federal agencies, federal agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, Department of the Interior. It is responsible for im ...
, and the
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is a List of federal agencies in the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of the Interior which oversees the management of fish, wildlife, ...
, have employees assigned to the area, and their operations are a significant part of its economy and services. The county's official slogans include "The last best place" and "Where the West still lives".
History
Prior to the arrival of Europeans in the region, varying cultures of
Native Americans inhabited the county for thousands of years. At the time of European encounter, the
Modoc people lived in what is now northern California, near
Lost River and
Tule Lake. The county was named after them.
The
Achomawi (or Pit River Indians, for which the
Pit River is named), and the
Paiute also lived in the area.
To the north were the
Klamath in present-day Oregon.
The first European explorers to visit Modoc County were the American
John C. Frémont and his traveling party (including
Kit Carson) in 1846, who had departed from
Sutter's Fort near the confluence of the
American and
Sacramento Rivers (where
Sacramento stands today).
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. The
Territory of Utah requested jurisdiction to the summit of the
Sierra Nevada. At the time, the
Warner Mountains were believed to be a part of the Sierra Nevada, so this would have included
Surprise Valley, but California denied the request.
In 1856, the residents of
Honey 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 called
Nataqua. Nataqua would have included Modoc County.
In 1858, the
Territory 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.
After Nevada was granted statehood in 1864, the region of current Modoc County was placed within jurisdiction of
Shasta County, California, and
Siskiyou County was, in turn, generated from Shasta County in 1852.
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.
In 1864, the Klamath, Modoc and Yahooskin band of the
Shoshone 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 by
Captain Jack returned to California and the Tule Lake area.
The
Modoc War or
Lava Beds War of 1872–73 brought nationwide attention to the Modoc. From strong defensive positions in the
lava tubes, 52 Modoc warriors held off hundreds of US Army forces, who called in artillery to help.
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 General
Edward Canby and Rev. Eleazer Thomas, as well as wounding others. More Army troops were called in to lay siege to Captain Jack's Stronghold.
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.
The area has since been designated the
Lava 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 the
Lassen Applegate Trail, which brought settlers north from Nevada to the
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and Westward Expansion Trails, emigrant trail in North America that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon Territory. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail crossed what ...
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 Governor
Newton Booth signed an Act of the California Legislature on February 17, 1874, after residents of the
Surprise Valley region lobbied for the creation of a new county from eastern Siskiyou County land.
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 to
Indian Territory
Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United States, ...
as prisoners.
The Dorris Bridge post office opened in 1871
and was renamed Dorrisville in 1874. Due to its central location, it became the county seat when Modoc County formed that year, although both
Adin and
Cedarville were larger towns.
In 1876, it was renamed Alturas, Spanish for "The Heights".
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).
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the US government developed several thousand acres just south of
Newell as a
Japanese American internment camp.
Tule Lake War Relocation Center was the site of temporary exile for thousands of Japanese-American citizens, who lost most of their businesses and properties where they had formerly lived in coastal areas. A historical marker marks the site along
California State Route 139
State Route 139 (SR 139) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California. Running from California State Route 36, SR 36 in Susanville, California, Susanville north to Oregon Route 39 at the Oregon state line, it forms part of the shortest r ...
in Newell. Tule Lake was the largest of the "segregation camps." On November 8, 2005, Senator
Dianne Feinstein called for the camp to be designated a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...
. In December 2008 President
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
designated it one of nine sites to be part of the new
World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, now the
Tule Lake National Monument
The Tule Lake War Relocation Center, also known as the Tule Lake Segregation Center, was an Internment of Japanese Americans, American concentration camp located in Modoc County, California, Modoc and Siskiyou County, California, Siskiyou count ...
.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, Modoc County spans a total area of , of which is land, with (6.8%) water.
There are 2.25 persons per square mile, making Modoc one of the
least-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 the
Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge.
Geologically, Modoc County is quite unique. The area's tumultuous
seismic past has set the stage for a productive, diverse regional
ecology
Ecology () is the natural science of the relationships among living organisms and their Natural environment, environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community (ecology), community, ecosystem, and biosphere lev ...
today; a rich
soil
Soil, also commonly referred to as earth, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, water, and organisms that together support the life of plants and soil organisms. Some scientific definitions distinguish dirt from ''soil'' by re ...
composition, largely created by ancient
volcanoes dispersing vast amounts of
minerals, stands out from the typically bland, clay-heavy terrain common in the American west. To the northwest of the county lies
Medicine Lake—the largest
shield volcano on the
U.S. West Coast—and
Lava Beds National Monument. In west Modoc County is the massive
Glass Mountain, another ancient
lava flow
Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a Natural satellite, moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a Fissure vent, fractu ...
. The southwestern quadrant of the county is a unique
ecosystem
An ecosystem (or ecological system) is a system formed by Organism, organisms in interaction with their Biophysical environment, environment. The Biotic material, biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and en ...
of isolated hardwoods (oaks) and volcanic mountains with intermountain river valleys.

The northern half of the county is primarily the
Modoc Plateau, a expanse of lava flows,
cinder cones,
juniper flats,
pine
A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae.
''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...
forests and
seasonal lakes, including the
alkaline
In chemistry, an alkali (; from the Arabic word , ) is a basic salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as a base that dissolves in water. A solution of a soluble base has a pH greater than 7.0. The ...
waters of
Goose Lake. Nearly of the
Modoc National Forest lie on the
plateau
In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...
between Medicine Lake, to the west, and the
Warner Mountains, to the east.
A great diversity of plants are found in Modoc County. As it is situated within the biodiverse
California Floristic Province, many native trees are found in the county, including
Garry oak (''Quercus garryana'') and
Washoe pine (''Pinus washoensis'').
[C. Michael Hogan]
''Quercus kelloggii''
, Globaltwitcher, 2008 ''
Pinus jeffreyi
''Pinus jeffreyi'', also known as Jeffrey pine, Jeffrey's pine, yellow pine and black pine, is a North American pine tree. It is mainly found in California, but also in the westernmost part of Nevada, southwestern Oregon, and northern Baja Calif ...
'' and
''P. ponderosa'' (the Jeffrey and ponderosa pines, respectively) are also found in substantial groves.
The rich plant life supports substantial populations of
mule deer
The mule deer (''Odocoileus hemionus'') is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. Two subspecies of mule deer are grouped into the black-tailed deer.
Unlike the related whit ...
(''
Odocoileus hemionus''),
Rocky Mountain elk (''
Cervus canadensis'') and
pronghorn (''
Antilocapra americana''), as well as several herds of
wild horses (''Equus ferus'').
Clear Lake National Wildlife Refuge and Long Bell State Game Refuge are located on the plateau, as well. The
Lost River, which later drains into the
Klamath River basin, drains the northern part of the plateau; southern watersheds either collect in basin reservoirs or flow into the
Big Sage Reservoir, in the center of the county (which later flows into the
Pit River).
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 southern
forks come together just south of Alturas; the river collects hundreds of other small
creeks on its trajectory south towards
Shasta Lake, where it joins the
Sacramento River and ultimately drains into
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay (Chochenyo language, Chochenyo: 'ommu) is a large tidal estuary in the United States, U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the cities of San Francisco, California, San ...
. 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 is
Surprise Valley and the western edge of the
Great Basin.
Hot springs
A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a Spring (hydrology), spring produced by the emergence of Geothermal activity, geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow ...
and lava caves are unique to Modoc County. There is potential for some
geothermal energy
Geothermal energy is thermal energy extracted from the crust (geology), crust. It combines energy from the formation of the planet and from radioactive decay. Geothermal energy has been exploited as a source of heat and/or electric power for m ...
resources in the county, though the viability is highly variable.
Adjacent counties
*
Klamath County, Oregon - north
*
Lake County, Oregon
Lake County is one of the List of counties in Oregon, 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 8,160. Its county seat is Lakeview, Oregon, Lakeview. The county is named after ...
- north
*
Washoe County, Nevada
Washoe County () is a county in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 486,492, making it Nevada's second-most populous county. Its county seat is Reno. Washoe County is included in the Reno, NV Metropolitan Sta ...
- east
*
Lassen County - south
*
Shasta County - southwest
*
Siskiyou County - west
National protected areas
*
Clear Lake National Wildlife Refuge
*
Lava Beds National Monument (part)
*
Modoc National Forest (part)
*
Shasta National Forest (part)
*
Modoc National Wildlife Refuge (part)
*
Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge (part)
*
Tule Lake Unit, World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument (part)
Demographics
2020
2011
Places by population, race, and income
2000
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 9,449 people, 3,784 households, and 2,550 families residing in the county. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 4,807 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 85.9%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.7%
Black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
or
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 4.2%
American Indian, 0.6%
Asian, 0.1%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 5.7% from
other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. 11.5% of the population were
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race. The largest ethnicity/ancestry groups in Modoc county include: 15%
English, 14%
Irish and 13%
German of whom 90.4% spoke
English 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% were
married 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. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the county was $17,285. About 16.4% of families and 21.5% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 29.7% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over. Modoc County has the
lowest 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.
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 are
remote workers. This sudden rise in housing prices become unaffordable for locals, who find themselves unable to purchase homes given their limited incomes.
2010
The
2010 United States census reported that Modoc County had a population of 9,686. The racial makeup of Modoc County was 8,084 (83.5%)
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 82 (0.8%)
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 370 (3.8%)
Native American, 78 (0.8%)
Asian, 21 (0.2%)
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 680 (7.0%) from
other races, and 371 (3.8%) from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 1,342 persons (13.9%).
Politics
Federally, Modoc County is in . In the
state legislature Modoc is in , and . For much of the 20th century, Modoc County was a
bellwether
A bellwether is a leader or an indicator of trends.[bellwether]
" ''Cambridge Dictionary''. Re ...
county for statewide elections in California, voting for the statewide winner in every election between 1912 and 1990 with the exception of
Jerry Brown
Edmund Gerald Brown Jr. (born April 7, 1938) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the 34th and 39th governor of California from 1975 to 1983 and 2011 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic P ...
's 2 statewide victories (the county's dislike of Brown is attributable to his environmental policies negatively affecting the county's logging industry).
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 of
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...
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; only
Kern and
Tulare counties voted in higher proportion, both opting for the Proposition with 75.4% of the vote. In the
2021 California gubernatorial recall election
The 2021 California gubernatorial recall election was a special recall election, recall election that started in August 2021 and ended on September 14, 2021, when the majority of California voters chose not to recall incumbent Democratic Party ...
, Modoc and neighboring
Lassen 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 of
secession
Secession is the formal withdrawal of a group from a Polity, political entity. The process begins once a group proclaims an act of secession (such as a declaration of independence). A secession attempt might be violent or peaceful, but the goal i ...
from California to form a proposed state named
Jefferson.
Voter registration
Cities by population and voter registration
Historical election results
Crime
The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense:
Cities by population and crime rates
Transportation
Major highways
*
U.S. Route 395
*
State Route 139
*
State Route 299
Additionally, the eastern Modoc County communities of
Eagleville,
Cedarville,
Lake City, and
Fort Bidwell are connected via Surprise Valley Road, which runs from the southern county line to the Oregon border.
Public transportation
The
Sage Stage is a dial-a-ride service providing trips within Modoc County. It also provides service to
Klamath Falls, Oregon and
Reno, Nevada
Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...
, as well as connections to and from
Reno International Airport, outside of Door D.
Airports
There are general aviation airports near Alturas (
Alturas Municipal Airport and
California Pines Airport). Other airports include
Cedarville Airport,
Eagleville Airport,
Fort Bidwell Airport, and
Tulelake Municipal Airport. The closest major airport is in
Reno.
Communities
City
*
Alturas (county seat)
Census-designated places
*
Adin
*
California Pines
*
Canby
*
Cedarville
*
Daphnedale Park
*
Eagleville
*
Fort Bidwell
*
Lake City
*
Likely
*
Lookout
*
Newell
*
New Pine Creek
Other unincorporated places
*
Davis Creek
*
Tionesta
Population ranking
The population ranking of the following table is based on the
2020 census of Modoc County.
† ''county seat''
See also
*
Modoc County Historical Museum
*
List of school districts in Modoc County, California
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Modoc County, California
Notes
References
External links
*
Hiking trails in Modoc Countyh2g2 Guide Entry A1065278: Modoc County, California, USAOpenRoad.TV(Modoc County's Living West video story)
{{authority control
California counties
California placenames of Native American origin
Shasta Cascade
1874 establishments in California
Populated places established in 1874