Overview
Home Team Advantage
Author(s) : Hillary Manion (Modoc/Klamath descendant)
Lesson partner: Rebecca Lowry and Maggie Peters, Humboldt County Office of Education
Grade(s) : 8
Suggested Amount of Time : 60-90 minutes
Curriculum Themes:
- History
- Law/Government
- Relationship to Place
Learning Goals
Summarize information about who was involved in the war, and the main events of the winter of 1872
Analyze the topography of the lava beds to understand how the Modocs used it to their advantage.
Evaluate how the Modocs were underestimated in this conflict and consider how those estimations impacted the outcome of the first battles.
Lesson Overview
Teacher Background
In the 1860’s and 1870’s land conflicts in the Tule Lake Basin propelled the government to push Modocs onto the Klamath reservation. A band of Modocs were unhappy with their existence with the Klamath and attempted to take their land back. This sparked the Modoc war where 60 or so Modoc warriors held off the 1000 strong US army in the lava beds south of Tule Lake for six months. It was one of the costliest wars in American History in terms of lives lost and money. Even though the Modocs eventually surrendered, it is considered a huge source of pride of all Modoc descendants that their ancestors put up the fight that they did. Modoc people (originally from Northern CA) are now in two different groups- The Klamath Tribes consists of Klamath people, Modoc people, and Yahooskin people. Modocs that were involved with the conflict were exiled to Oklahoma, so their descendants mostly live there and are typically enrolled members of the Modoc Nation.
Unit Background
This unit focuses on the Modoc War, a conflict between a small number of Modoc people and the US military in 1860’s and 1870’s. The first lesson gives the background information needed to understand the lead-up to the conflict. The second and third lessons focus on different aspects of the conflict, including events and topography. The fourth lesson, the aftermath. A possible extension activity would be a field trip to the Lava Beds National Monument to see the battle sites and gain a deeper understanding of the natural fortifications the Modoc people used to hold off the military.