Modoc Point

Modoc Ridge and the Upper Klamath Lake with U.S. Route 97 running between them.

Modoc Point is a cliff on the east shore of Upper Klamath Lake, in Klamath County, Oregon, United States, approximately 15 miles north of Klamath Falls on U.S. Route 97.^[1] It is part of the larger cliff known as Modoc Rim or Modoc Ridge.^[2]

The point is named for the Modoc tribe of Native Americans because it was assigned to them when they moved on to the Klamath Reservation, following a treaty in 1864. This area was then part of the reservation. Captain Jack and his band lived in this area from December 31, 1869, to April 26, 1870.^[3] Due to continued harassment by the Klamath, the Modoc left the reservation to return to their traditional territory to the south on the Lost River in present-day California. This was before the Modoc War (1872-1873).^[3][4]

Klamath folklore frequently features this location; they called it Kiuti or Muyant. It was also called Nilakla, meaning "dawn" or "sunrise".^[3] William G. Steel stated that the point was known as Nilakla, the Klamath word for "dawn" or "sunrise".^[3]

Modoc Point was the namesake for a railroad station and post office just north of the point.^[3]

References

1. ^ "Modoc Point". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. November 28, 1980. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:1146382. Retrieved 2010-01-13. 
2. ^ "Modoc Rim". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. March 1, 1994. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:1162612. Retrieved 2010-01-13. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d e} McArthur, Lewis A.; McArthur, Lewis L. (2003) [First published 1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 653. ISBN 9780875952772. OCLC 53075956. 
4. ^ Friedman, Ralph (1993) [1972]. Oregon for the Curious (3rd ed.). Portland, Oregon: Pars Publishing Company. pp. 165–166. ISBN 0-87004-222-X. http://books.google.com/books?id=V8gJTJe6ePIC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Ralph+Friedman&cd=3#v=onepage&q=Modoc%20Point&f=false. 

Coordinates: 42°26′20″N 121°51′31″W / 42.4390276°N 121.8586226°W / 42.4390276; -121.8586226