| Modoc County, California | |
| Official Name: | County of Modoc |
| Seal Link: | List of U.S. county and city insignia |
| Seal Type: | Seal |
| Seat1 Type: | Largest city |
| Seat1: | Alturas |
| Unit Pref: | US |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 4203 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 3918 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 286 |
| Elevation Max Ft: | 9892 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Total: | 8700 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
| Established Date: | February 17, 1874 |
| Leader Title: | Chair |
| Leader Name: | Kathie Rhoads |
| Leader Title1: | Vice Chair |
| Leader Name1: | Shane Starr |
| Leader Title2: | Board of Supervisors[2] |
| Leader Title4: | County Administrative Officer |
| Leader Name4: | Chester Robertson |
| Utc Offset: | -8 |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -7 |
| Image Map1: | Map of California highlighting Modoc County.svg |
| Mapsize1: | 200px |
| Elevation Max M: | 3015 |
| Blank Name Sec1: | Congressional district |
| Blank Info Sec1: | 1st |
Modoc County is a county located in the far northeast corner of the U.S. state of California. 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 and only incorporated city is Alturas.[3] Previous county seats include Lake City and Centerville. The county borders Nevada and Oregon.
Much of Modoc County is federal land. Several federal agencies, including the United States Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, 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".
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.[4]
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.[5] 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.[6] 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.[7] 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 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 as prisoners.[8]
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".[9] 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, 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 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. In December 2008 President George W. Bush 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.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and (6.8%) is water.[10]
There are 2.25 persons per square mile, making this one of the most sparsely populated counties in California. It is also the only nearly rectangular county in California; there is a slight deviation around the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge.
The county is very diverse geographically. The northwestern edge of the county is dominated by the Medicine Lake Highlands, the largest shield volcano on the U.S. West Coast. The Lava Beds National Monument lies partly within the northwest corner of the county. Also along the western edge of the county is the massive Glass Mountain lava flow. The southwestern corner of the county is a unique ecosystem of isolated hardwoods (oaks) and volcanic mountains with intermountain river valleys.
The northern half of the county is the Modoc Plateau, a 1-highNaN-high expanse of lava flows, cinder cones, juniper flats, pine forests, and seasonal lakes, plus the alkaline Goose Lake. Nearly 1e6acre of the Modoc National Forest lie on the plateau between the Medicine Lake Highlands in the west and the Warner Mountains in the east. The plateau supports large herds of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), Rocky Mountain Elk (Cervus canadensis), and pronghorn (Antilocapra americana). There are also several herds of wild horses on the plateau. The Clear Lake National Wildlife Refuge and Long Bell State Game Refuge are located on the plateau as well. The Lost River watershed, which later drains into the Klamath River basin, drains the north part of the plateau, while southern watersheds either collect in basin reservoirs or flow into the large Big Sage Reservoir, which sits in the center of the county, which later flows into the Pit River.
Below the rim of the Plateau is Big Valley in the extreme southwest corner of the county, and the large Warm Springs Valley that forms the bottom of the Pit River watershed that runs through the county. The north fork and south fork of the Pit River come together just south of Alturas. The River collects hundreds of other small creeks as it flows south towards Lake Shasta, where it joins the Sacramento River and drains into the San 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 snow-melt and natural springs. East of the Warner Range is Surprise Valley and the western edge of the Great Basin.
Hot Springs and lava caves are common to Modoc County. There are some geothermal energy resources available in the county, though their viability is highly variable.
A great diversity of plants is found in Modoc County, since this is situated within the biodiverse California Floristic Province. Numerous native trees are found in the county, including Garry oak and Washoe pine trees.[11] Jeffrey Pine and Ponderosa Pine are also found in large numbers.[12]
| Population, race, and income | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total population[13] | 9,587 | ||||
| White | 8,392 | 87.5% | |||
| Black or African American | 108 | 1.1% | |||
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 327 | 3.4% | |||
| Asian | 73 | 0.8% | |||
| Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander | 8 | 0.1% | |||
| Some other race | 389 | 4.1% | |||
| Two or more races | 290 | 3.0% | |||
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race)[14] | 1,290 | 13.5% | |||
| Per capita income[15] | $20,769 | ||||
| Median household income[16] | $35,402 | ||||
| Median family income[17] | $46,047 | ||||
| Places by population and race | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Type[18] | data-sort-type="number" | Population | data-sort-type="number" | White | data-sort-type="number" | Other [19] | data-sort-type="number" | Asian | data-sort-type="number" | Black or African American | data-sort-type="number" | Native American [20] | data-sort-type="number" | Hispanic or Latino (of any race) |
| 418 | 96.7% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 3.3% | 2.2% | |||||||||
| 2,813 | 86.8% | 5.4% | 1.6% | 1.3% | 4.8% | 6.9% | |||||||||
| 105 | 81.0% | 19.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 3.8% | |||||||||
| 480 | 62.3% | 19.4% | 0.0% | 10.4% | 7.9% | 20.8% | |||||||||
| 545 | 85.3% | 12.8% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 1.5% | 20.2% | |||||||||
| 35 | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | |||||||||
| 53 | 86.8% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 13.2% | 0.0% | |||||||||
| 151 | 39.1% | 1.3% | 2.0% | 0.0% | 57.6% | 1.3% | |||||||||
| 66 | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | |||||||||
| 100 | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | |||||||||
| 5 | 0.0% | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | |||||||||
| 473 | 88.6% | 5.5% | 4.2% | 0.0% | 1.7% | 50.3% | |||||||||
| 104 | 93.3% | 6.7% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | |||||||||
| Places by population and income | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Type | Population[21] | data-sort-type="currency" | Per capita income | data-sort-type="currency" | Median household income | data-sort-type="currency" | Median family income |
| 418 | $21,457 | $45,625 | $57,550 | |||||
| 2,813 | $20,842 | $32,237 | $47,260 | |||||
| 105 | $26,595 | $55,938 | $118,194 | |||||
| 480 | $11,298 | $21,744 | $21,744 | |||||
| 545 | $22,710 | $43,500 | $46,058 | |||||
| 35 | [22] | $12,083 | ||||||
| 53 | $46,826 | $27,083 | $113,750 | |||||
| 151 | $16,332 | $21,875 | $28,250 | |||||
| 66 | $24,061 | $35,284 | $9,688 | |||||
| 100 | $17,659 | $35,143 | ||||||
| 5 | ||||||||
| 473 | $8,765 | $28,875 | $23,864 | |||||
| 104 | $31,602 | $28,472 | ||||||
As of the census[23] of 2000, there were 9,449 people, 3,784 households, and 2,550 families residing in the county. The population density was 2/mi2. There were 4,807 housing units at an average density of 1/mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 85.9% White, 0.7% Black or African American, 4.2% American Indian, 0.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 5.7% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. 11.5% of the population were Hispanic 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 for the county was $17,285. About 16.4% of families and 21.5% of the population were below the poverty line, 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.[24] 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.[24]
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, 82 (0.8%) African American, 370 (3.8%) Native American, 78 (0.8%) Asian, 21 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 680 (7.0%) from other races, and 371 (3.8%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1,342 persons (13.9%).
| Population reported at 2010 United States Census | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The County | Total Population | White | African American | Native American | Asian | Pacific Islander | other races | two or more races | Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | |
| Modoc County | 9,686 | 8,084 | 82 | 370 | 78 | 21 | 680 | 371 | 1,342 | |
| Incorporated city | Total Population | White | African American | Native American | Asian | Pacific Islander | other races | two or more races | Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | |
| Alturas | 2,827 | 2,430 | 15 | 81 | 45 | 7 | 118 | 131 | 347 | |
| Census-designated place | Total Population | White | African American | Native American | Asian | Pacific Islander | other races | two or more races | Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | |
| Adin | 272 | 240 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 13 | 32 | |
| California Pines | 520 | 416 | 11 | 16 | 6 | 2 | 33 | 36 | 83 | |
| Canby | 315 | 292 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 4 | 24 | |
| Cedarville | 514 | 422 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 59 | 17 | 86 | |
| Daphnedale Park | 184 | 166 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 18 | |
| Eagleville | 59 | 58 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| Fort Bidwell | 173 | 75 | 2 | 76 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 23 | |
| Lake City | 61 | 58 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Likely | 63 | 57 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
| Lookout | 84 | 76 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 14 | |
| New Pine Creek | 98 | 89 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 4 | |
| Newell | 449 | 199 | 2 | 23 | 1 | 5 | 193 | 26 | 271 | |
| Other unincorporated areas | Total Population | White | African American | Native American | Asian | Pacific Islander | other races | two or more races | Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | |
| All others not CDPs (combined) | 4,067 | 3,506 | 45 | 131 | 25 | 2 | 241 | 117 | 432 | |
Federally, Modoc County is in .[25] In the state legislature Modoc is in,[26] and .[27]
For much of the 20th century, Modoc County was a bellwether county for statewide elections in California, voting for the statewide winner in every election between 1912 and 1990 with the exception of Jerry Brown's two statewide victories (the county's dislike of Brown attributable to his environmental policies negatively affecting the county's logging industry).[28]
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 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.[29] In the 2021 California gubernatorial recall election, 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 from California to form a proposed state named Jefferson.[30]
| Population and registered voters | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 9,587 | ||
| Registered voters[31] [32] | 5,273 | 55.0% | |
| Democratic | 1,364 | 25.9% | |
| Republican | 2,634 | 50.0% | |
| Democratic - Republican spread | -1,270 | -24.1% | |
| Independent | 262 | 5.0% | |
| Green | 21 | 0.4% | |
| Libertarian | 45 | 0.9% | |
| Peace and Freedom | 6 | 0.1% | |
| Americans Elect | 0 | 0.0% | |
| Other | 10 | 0.2% | |
| No party preference | 931 | 17.7% | |
| Cities by population and voter registration | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City | data-sort-type="number" | Population | data-sort-type="number" | Registered voters | data-sort-type="number" | Democratic | data-sort-type="number" | Republican | data-sort-type="number" | D - R spread | data-sort-type="number" | Other | data-sort-type="number" | No party preference |
| 2,813 | 54.7% | 31.0% | 42.4% | -11.4% | 12.9% | 19.5% | ||||||||
The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense:
| Population and crime rates | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 9,587 | ||
| Violent crime[33] | 10 | 1.04 | |
| Homicide | 0 | 0.00 | |
| Forcible rape | 1 | 0.10 | |
| Robbery | 0 | 0.00 | |
| Aggravated assault | 9 | 0.94 | |
| Property crime | 76 | 7.93 | |
| Burglary | 44 | 4.59 | |
| Larceny-theft[34] | 69 | 7.20 | |
| Motor vehicle theft | 7 | 0.73 | |
| Arson | 1 | 0.10 | |
| Cities by population and crime rates | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City | data-sort-type="number" | Population[35] | data-sort-type="number" | Violent crimes | data-sort-type="number" | Violent crime rate per 1,000 persons | data-sort-type="number" | Property crimes | data-sort-type="number" | Property crime rate per 1,000 persons |
| 2,802 | 36 | 12.85 | 62 | 22.13 | ||||||
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.
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, as well as connections to and from Reno International Airport, outside of Door D.[36]
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.
The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Modoc County.
† county seat
| Rank | City/Town/etc. | Municipal type | Population (2020 Census) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | † Alturas | City | 2,715 | |
| 2 | California Pines | CDP | 473 | |
| 3 | Cedarville | CDP | 437 | |
| 4 | Newell | CDP | 301 | |
| 5 | Adin | CDP | 205 | |
| 6 | Canby | CDP | 183 | |
| 7 | Fort Bidwell | CDP | 180 | |
| 8 | Daphnedale Park | CDP | 129 | |
| 9 | XL Ranch Rancheria[37] | AIAN | 117 | |
| 10 | Fort Bidwell Reservation[38] | AIAN | 97 | |
| 11 | New Pine Creek | CDP | 87 | |
| 12 | Lake City | CDP | 71 | |
| 13 | Lookout | CDP | 68 | |
| 14 | Likely | CDP | 53 | |
| 15 | Eagleville | CDP | 45 | |
| 16 | Cedarville Rancheria[39] | AIAN | 19 | |
| 17 | Lookout Rancheria[40] | AIAN | 11 | |
| 18 | Alturas Indian Rancheria[41] | AIAN | 3 | |
| 19 | Likely Rancheria[42] | AIAN | 0 |