California - Lava Beds National Monument

From my visit on 6/2/09

Lava Beds National Monument, located in Siskiyou and Modoc Counties, California, is the site of the largest concentration of lava tube caves in North America. It was established as a United States National Monument on November 21, 1925, occupying over 46,000 acres. Lava Beds National Monument also includes Petroglyph Point, one of the largest panels of Native American rock art in the United States. The monument offers about ten trails through the high desert. Approximately 25 of the lava tube caves have been developed for public use with marked entrances and developed trails.

The monument lies on the northeast flank of the Medicine Lake Volcano, the largest volcano (total area covered) in the Cascade Range. The region in and around the monument is unique because it lies on the junction of the Sierra-Klamath, Cascade, and Great Basin physiographic provinces. In addition, the monument is geologically outstanding because of its great variety of "textbook" volcanic formations; i.e., lava tube caves, fumaroles, cinder cones, spatter cones, maars, and lava flows.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lava_Beds
http://www.EarthScienceWorld.org/images/search/lightbox2.html?ID=i8bk9o

The war between the U.S. Army and the Modoc Indians took place here from 1872-1873.

During the Modoc War of 1872-1873, the Modoc Indians used these tortuous lava flows to their advantage. Under the leadership of Captain Jack, the Modocs took refuge in "Captain Jack's Stronghold," a natural lava fortress. From this base a group of 53 fighting men and their families held off US Army forces numbering up to ten times their strength for five months. Gen E. R. S. Canby was killed here by Captain Jack at a peace meeting on April 11, 1873.

Following the end of the Civil War in 1865, settlement of the West increased rapidly, and the mass movement of settlers soon led to conflict with the Native Americans. The previous U.S. government policy of moving tribes west of the national boundary no longer applied, so beginning in the 1860s the government began moving Native Americans onto reservations. Nowhere was this influx of settlers greater than in California, where the wave of migrants brought by the Gold Rush heightened the call to end the migratory lifestyles of the Native Americans and restrict them to reservations. The impact of the huge rush of non-Indian people into California in just a few years was catastrophic to the Native American tribes. About sixty per cent of the Native American people died of disease, many others were killed, and the rest dispossessed.

http://www.MuseumCa.org/PictureThis/1_9.html#

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. — Part of a former World War II internment camp for Japanese Americans has been officially designated a National Historical Landmark.

The 42-acre landmark was part of the Tule Lake Relocation-Segregation Camp in a remote area of Northern California near the Lava Beds National Monument just south of the Oregon border.

More than 120,000 Japanese Americans were displaced from their homes across the West and put in 10 relocation camps during the war. Tule Lake was the largest center, with a peak population of 18,789 detainees.

A National Park Service advisory board unanimously recommended the designation for the area that was part of the 7,400-acre camp. It was designated as a relocation center in 1942 and converted to the nation's only segregation center in 1943.

http://www.TuleLake.org




TAGS: Calvary, Infantry, Settlers, Miners, Warriors, Klamath Reservation, Oregon, Attack Muzzle-loading Weapons, U. S. Army commander, General Canby, Massacre Wounded Knee 1890, Oklahoma Tribes, Medicine Lake, Fossil, Petroglyphs, Pictographs, Trail of Tears

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Travel
• Tourist
• Tourism
• Vacation
• Things
• to
• Do
• Photography
• Recreation
• Outdoor
• Camping
• Adventure
• Explore
• Mountains
• Climbing
• Forest
• Nature
• Scenic
• Route
• Tour
• National
• State
• Park
• Desert
• Water
• Swimming
• Ocean
• River
• Lake
• Sand
• Snow
• Hiking
• Trails
• Boating
• Fun
• Lord
• Bible
• Biblical
• Teaching
• Preaching
• Sermon
• Prophecy
• Church
• News
• Jesus
• Messiah
• God
• Holy
• Spirit
• Prayer
• Intercession

[buddystevenson]

i was here for a class trip from oregon caving for a week i like the golden dome cave

[FireThunderTV]

buddystevenson: Cool!

[Bajacaliwave]

My friends and I hiked the cliff on the back ground @ 1:39. We almost got attacked by a rattle snake. But it was fun.

[FireThunderTV]

Bajacaliwave: Yikes! I almost got bit by a snake in Sedona, Arizona near the petroglyphs. It was literally within arms length of me. I didn't even see it. Fortunately, the snake didn't bite me. I don't know what I would've done. Probably totally freaked out about it being wrapped around my legs. It really scared me! I've never been bit by a snake, and I don't ever wanna know what it feels like!

[evajom1]

Great little film.What a fantastic place.

[FireThunderTV]

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it. Wish I could have seen more, but I didn't have time.

[buddystevenson]

i was here for a class trip from oregon caving for a week

[bleachworthy]

Great caves here ranging from easy to VERY advanced. there are hundreds of caves out in the lava fields that are not marked by the park, all are gorgeous!

[FireThunderTV]

CommentMan824: Really??? Awesome!

[notrombones]

Shhh.

Keep it a secret.