Life on the Waters: The original inhabitants of the Klamath Basin were related to the Klamath and Modoc tribes and called themselves maklaks, or “the people.”

Mountain Men: The first non-Indians in the Klamath Basin were fur trappers, employees of the Hudson’s Bay Company out of Fort Vancouver, out to capture as much beaver as possible and create a “fur desert” to ward off competition.

Fremont Explores the Klamath Marsh: Surveyor and map-maker, John Charles Frémont was instrumental in stimulating American interest in western migration beyond the Rockies.

Fremont & Kit Carson at Upper Klamath Lake: Frémont’s mapping expeditions embroiled him in the U.S. war with Mexico and a raid on a Modoc village near Upper Klamath Lake.

The Applegate Trail: In 1846 two Applegate brothers and Leon Scott headed a party to find a more hospitable route to the Willamete Valley than the Oregon Trail they had travelled in 1843.

The Road to Bloody Point: The Modocs of the southern Klamath Basin openly resisted Euro-American settlement. Their 1849 attack on Tule Lake emigrants made them the focal point of settler vengeance. 

The Treaty of 1864: Because of its inconsistencies and inept fulfillment, the Treaty of 1864 helped to bring about what it was designed to avoid: war

Fort Klamath: Despite the natural abundance surrounding its Wood River Valley location, Fort Klamath proved ill-placed in its mandate to protect Klamath Basin settlers.

Cattlemen and Indians: After 1864, cattlemen took possession of grazing land and added further strain to an already fragile peace between settlers and local tribes. 

Modocs under Siege: The growing conflict between Klamath Basin settlers and Modoc Indians escalates when an unauthorized Army visit to a Modoc camp turns to bloodshed.

The Trial of Captain Jack: The Modoc attack on the U.S. Army’s Peace Commissioners proves to be the tribe’s undoing.