Archives West Finding Aid

The Modoc War lasted for 8 months between 1872 and 1873. Casualties include 200 U.S. soldiers, and 13 warrior and civilian Modocs. For the first time a ranking general lost his life during a conflict between the Federal Government and Native Americans. It was also the first time Native American leaders were tried and executed for war crimes. The Modoc War was known as one of the costliest of the 19th-Century Indian Wars, due to the remoteness of the area at the time and the ability of the inferior Modoc forces to successfully repel more numerous U.S. troops for almost 4 months. Francis S. "Van" Landrum was a businessman and self-taught structural engineer/land surveyor in Klamath Falls, Oregon as well as a noted amateur historian and author. Landrum collected a vast number of Modoc War documents and photographs.