Feature > Backcountry Adventures
Captain Jack’s Trail
Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge Trail
by Angela Titus
photography by Bushducks
East Sand Butte is one of the strange natural landforms along Sand Butte Trail.
Flash back to 1872. Wheelin’ along this trail in Northern California, you’d end up right in the middle of a fierce Indian battle — 50 Modoc warriors, using the rugged landscape, a natural fortification within ancient lava beds, resisting 1,000 U.S. army troops.
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Led by Captain Jack, the Modoc had fled from a reservation in Oregon, where they’d been forced to live with traditional rivals, the Klamath; the U.S. government refused to give the Modoc its own separate reservation. For five months, the Modoc defended its stronghold until hunger forced them to abandon the position.
The long, arduous battle caused some Modoc warriors to defect while others died in subsequent skirmishes. Despite insurmountable difficulties facing Captain Jack, the resourceful chief managed to lead his diminishing Modoc force out of an ambush set by 300 U.S. army troops at Big Sand Butte.
Betrayed by his own men, starving, and outnumbered, Captain Jack finally surrendered in June 1873. The army hanged him and three fellow warriors for the murder of General Canby, the highest-ranking U.S. soldier to have died in any Indian battle. The army relocated the remaining Modoc to Indian territory in present-day Oklahoma.
Today, the road through the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge runs past Captain Jack’s stronghold, the natural fortress used by the Modoc during the historic standoff. Follow the half-mile trail that loops around the inner stronghold, and the 1.5-mile loop to the outer line of defenses, to see where the action occurred. The stronghold is located just within the boundary of the Lava Beds National Monument.
Carvings cover the sandstone buttes at Petroglyph Point.
Waterfowl at Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge, home to the largest wintering concentration of bald eagles in the lower 48 states.
Also within the Monument, the road passes Petroglyph Point. This intriguing series of carvings stretches hundreds of yards across a huge sandstone bluff. More than 5,000 symbols have been carved into the rock, making this one of the largest concentrations of petroglyphs in North America. Interestingly, the Modoc didn’t know the carvings’ origin, but some believe the last of the Rock Indians made them. The Modoc, who allegedly exterminated the Rock Indian tribe in the 1850s, were awed by the carvings and told stories about them.
Volcanic formations make up part of Captain Jack’s stronghold in Lava Beds National Monument.
The high outcrop also is referred to as Prisoner Rock, because Japanese detainees from the Tule Lake Relocation Center left inscriptions as well. During World War II, more than 19,000 persons of Japanese ancestry were incarcerated at the camp, located a few miles north of the trail’s end in Newell.
Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge is an attraction in itself. The refuge is home to bald eagles, golden eagles, and pelicans, among millions of migrating and wintering waterfowl and other wildlife. Photography blinds, auto tours, and self-guided canoe tours are a terrific way to observe birds and other animals. In season, the refuge also allows pheasant and waterfowl hunting.
South of the refuge, within the Lava Beds National Monument, are more great recreational opportunities. Hike, backpack, or camp among the rugged cinder cones, spatter cones, pit craters, and any of the more than 500 lava tube caves within the ancient lava beds. The caves are a favorite of many visitors. More Modoc war sites also can be explored here.
What’s left of the Tule Lake Relocation Center, one of 10 WWII Japanese relocation camps in the United States.
For more technical wheelin’ head south to the Sand Buttes Trail. It features more historic Modoc war sites and a rough, narrow shelf road spur that leads to the top of East Sand Butte and expansive views.
This information and much more is available in the “Backcountry Adventures: Northern California” guidebook. This series of guides helps four-wheelers locate and navigate the best destinations in the western states. Trail directions with GPS coordinates, maps, and color photos ensure you’ll never get lost. Need-to-know historic accounts of ghost towns, mines, and other amazing sites help ensure unforgettable trail rides. Find these trail guides at www.4wheelparts.com, 4Wheel Parts retail stores, and local book and map stores. For more information, call 866-SUV-TRIP.
Spur trail off of Sand Butte Trail.