Virtual Guidebook to Lassen Volcanic National Park and the Modoc Plateau
Captain Jacks Stronghold
Lava Beds National Monument California

In 1872, to avoid forcible removal from their traditional homelands on the Lost River, a portion of the Modoc Indian tribe fled here, to the inhospitable lava beds. Despite winter cold and minimal resources, they managed to survive. Even more remarkably they held out, utilizing the natural fortifications of the lava flow, against a much larger and better armed force of US Army cavalry and volunteers.

Captain Jack's Stronghold, named for Kintpuash, the Indian leader, is a fascinating place. A loop trail tells the amazing, sad story. You can trace the cracks, ridges, and caves where the drama played out in 1872-73. This was the first, maybe the only, Indian war closely covered by the mass media, with reporters from eastern and European newspapers and magazines, and photographer Edward Muybridge on the scene.