The Modoc war was the perfect case of cultural conflict. Many know the story of Custer's Last Stand but not as many know the story of Captain Jack and General Canby. It was a period in U.S. history when the settlers coming out west did whatever they needed to do in order to claim land. Many of the Native Americans gave up their land but there were some who fought for it to their death.
The reason for the Modoc war goes back to around the 1850's when settlers were coming over on the Oregon Trail. The Applegate's decided to carve a new route that would lead the route more southern. To do this they trekked through Modoc country around what today would be Klamath Falls. For the most part the Modocs kept the settlers alone. Some people said occasionally they would steal supplies or livestock but usually kept to themselves. Eventually the government claimed their land because the Natives didn't have any written proof that it was theirs. They didn't have it because they had never needed it before. Since the land shared the Oregon-California border, both states had treaties for it. They agreed that the Modocs should be moved to Klamath country that resided around Lower Klamath Lake in Oregon. So in the 1860's the Modocs made the short trek to the Klamath region. At this time the Klamaths and the Modocs didn't get along well at all. Due to this, there was much hostility with the new inhabitants. Many of the people dealt with it and carried on their lives. Then there were the ones including Captain Jack, Hooker Jim, and Scar-faced Charley, who couldn't live among their enemies. These men, (who were known by their English names by the military), and more decided to go back to their homeland to live. They moved back, and then they were kicked out again. This repeated a few times until they were fed up with it. They weren't leaving for anything or anyone . .
There were many meetings set by appointed negotiators to settle on an idea but the Modocs refused to meet with anybody.
