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Chronology
Books Etc
Books 2
Fairytales
Background
Lost River Murderers
Narrative
1851-1861
[work in progress]
Dictionary
A-C
D-I
J-R
S-Z
Sources
section 1
Petitions
Otis Conference
Origins
Settlers Complaints
section 2
Lost River Fight
Lost River Murders
Hot Creeks Incident
First Correspondent
1st Stronghold Battle
section 3
Peace Commission
Grover Objects
Modoc Press 1
Modoc Press 2
Steele Conference
Boston Embassy 1
section 4
Juniper Conference
Antepenultimatum
Night Council
Assassinations
section 5
2nd Stronghold Battle
Thomas Patrol
Sorass Lake
Surrender
POWs Murdered
section 6
Trial 1




Modoc War Dictionary
(An Alphabetical Listing of People, Places, and Events)


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J. W. Sandbank: Took part in the Ben Wright expedition of 1852; one of the men who went out to reinforce Ben Wright's Volunteers about 6 September 1852.

J. W. Savage: Private.

Scarfaced Charley (c1843-1896): Modoc warrior. **more**

Charles Schneider (c1838- ? ): Petition signer (ii).

Owen McCoy Schwatka: Private.

Scorpion Point:

J. W. Scott: Private.

J. W. Scranton: Sergeant. 2nd Sergeant in Oregon volunteers, company A.

W. F. Searles: Bugler, F troop, First Cavalry. Killed during a charge on the first day of the Second Battle for the Stronghold.

Joseph Seeds (c1842- ? ): Born in New Jersey; staying with James Barkley, a saloon-keeper in 1870. A petition signer (i and ii); one of the settlers who presented evidence to Otis against the Modocs in April 1872; otherwise unknown. At the Otis conference he testified that he lived three miles from Linkville, and that the Modocs once demanded pay for hay cut on a Mr. Whitney's claim. On the basis of this, Seeds declared the lives and property of the settlers as being in danger.

Shacknasty Frank: Modoc warrior. Wounded 15 January 1873 during a skirmish, and died in the lava beds.

Shacknasty Jake: Modoc warrior. Killed in the Three Days Fight.

Shacknasty Jim (c1851-1881): Modoc warrior, leader of the Hot Creek band. Shacknasty Jim by all accounts was a family man; at the age of twenty-two he had two wives, aged seventeen and eighteen, and four children, whose ages are not given in the record. He worked as a ranch-hand in the Hot Creek area, and was generally liked by neighbors. The catch to all this is that according to Federal policy he should have been doing none of these things. Instead of two wives, he should have had one. Instead of working as a ranch-hand in the Hot Creek area, he should have been learning to farm on Klamath Reservation. And instead of associating with white people, he should have been kept rigidly away from them. And so when the fighting broke out between the troops from Fort Klamath and the Lost River Modocs, the best bet for Shacknasty Jim and the rest of the Hot Creeks was to get the hell out of there and onto the reservation. Even so, his employers regarded him as indispensable, and asked the military for a special exemption for him and his brother Frank. None of this made any difference; the attempt to get the Hot Creeks onto the reservation turned into a total fiasco when they were met by an angry mob at Whittle's ferry, and the Hot Creeks quickly concluded that their chances were better in the Lava Beds with Captain Jack. In the warfare that followed Shacknasty Jim was in the forefront of the fighting, being one of the best shots in the band. He was a firm opponent of peace throughout the negotiations, and probably favored the plot to assassinate the peace commissioners. At any rate, he took part in it to the extent of shooting at Frank Riddle, though it's doubtful that he intended to kill him. (Scarfaced Charley had promised to shoot the man that killed Riddle; and if Shacknasty Jim had intended to shoot the interpreter, it isn't likely that he would have missed.) The fighting that followed took a huge toll on Shacknasty Jim's family; one brother, Frank, had already died; another, Jake, was killed by a shell in the Second Battle for the Stronghold, and a third, Ellen's Man George, died in the fight at Sorass Lake. This was the last straw for Shacknasty Jim; he and the rest of the Hot Creeks split with the Lost River Modocs at that point and went to Fairchild's to surrender. Indeed, so completely had he changed sides that he became one of the "bloodhounds" employed to hunt down his former leader, along with Hooker Jim, Bogus Charley, and Steamboat Frank. At the trial that followed he testified for the prosecution. Little is known of Shacknasty Jim's further career, except that it was short. Exiled to Oklahoma with the others, he appeared on occasion as part of Meacham's lecture on the war and on behalf of native American rights, giving exhibitions of his skill at archery. He died 14 April 1881.

Jasper Shockley: Sergeant. 3rd Sergeant in Oregon volunteers, company A

David P. Shook: Petition signer (i). No doubt the son of Amon Shook, who settled with his family in Yonna Valley in 1869.

Isaac N. Shook: Private. Petition signer (i and ii). Isaac N. Shook enlisted as a private, Oregon Volunteers, Company B. No doubt Isaac N. ("Newt") Shook, a son of Amon Shook who settled with his family in Yonna Valley in 1869.

John Shook: Corporal. 1st corporal in Oregon Volunteers, Company B.

William C. Shook: Private.

Peter Show-case: Private.

N. F. Skeen: Rifleman. Served in the California Volunteer Riflemen in the First Battle for the Stronghold.

Dan Skontian: Private.

John Skontian: Private.

Slolux ( ? -1899): Modoc warrior. Also known as George, George Denny, Lalockcell, Cok. Possibly also known as Little George. Present on the east side of Lost River when the fighting broke out, Slolux took part in the killing of the settlers along the east side of Tule Lake. He played a small part in the Good Friday Assassinations, helping to bring weapons for the attack; he was also the man who knocked Toby Riddle down during this event. He was one of the six to be tried at Fort Klamath for the events of the day, and one of the two whose sentence was commuted. He spent the next part of his life at Alcatraz, but finally was allowed to join the others in Oklahoma. He died in July 1899.

Jud Small: Rifleman. Served in the California Volunteer Riflemen in the first battle for the stronghold.

A. D. Smear: Took part in the Ben Wright expedition of 1852; one of the men who went out to reinforce Ben Wright's Volunteers about 6 September 1852.

Elijah Smith: Private. One of nine recruits that left Jacksonville for the front on 8 January 1873 with Lt Reams of the Oregon Militia.

William Smith: Bugler, Battery K [or M], Fourth Artillery. Wounded on the second day of the Second Battle for the Stronghold.

William Smith: Corporal. 2nd Corporal in Oregon Volunteers, Company B.

Schuyler C. Snooks: Private. Oregon Volunteers, Company B, for 63 days. He supplied his own horse. On 6 December he bought one pair of boots, one pair of socks, one pair of drawers, one pair of gloves, one pair of duck-pants, one undershirt, one saddle-blanket, and one pair of spurs. On the 8th he bought two and a half pounds of tobacco and a pair of drawers; and on the 31st he bought an overshirt and an undershirt. He bought another pound of tobacco on 2 January 1873.

John H. Snyder: Sergeant. 1st sergeant, Oregon volunteers, Company A.

T. B. Southworth: Rifleman. Served in the California Volunteer Riflemen in the first battle for the stronghold.

P. H. Springer: Petition signer (i). Unknown.

Steamboat: Steamboat Frank's wife, according to Meacham. In this case it may be that Steamboat Frank's name was originally Steamboat's Frank.

Steamboat Frank (c1850-1885): Modoc warrior. One of the Hot Creeks, Steamboat Frank was with them when the fighting broke out at Lost River, and by all accounts simply wanted to stay clear of it. A drunken mob from Linkville changed his mind, and he joined the Lost River Modocs at the Lava Beds, becoming one of the staunchest supporters of war and an opponent of peace. He was present at the killings at the peace tent, and like the other Hot Creeks he left Captain Jack after the Battle of Sorass Lake. After surrendering he offered his services as one of the "bloodhounds" who hunted Captain Jack down, and he testified against him at the trial. In Oklahoma he took the name Frank Modoc and converted to Christianity. He died in Maine, studying for the ministry.

O. L. Stearns: Petition signer (i); unknown.

O. A. Stearns (c1843 - ?): Petition signer (i). Born in Illinois, O. A. Stearns edited the Fort Klamath "newspaper" during the 1860s.

Stronghold: In the Lava Beds, south of Tule Lake.

Stephen Stukel (c1840 - ? ): Petition signer (ii). A farm laborer, born in Austria, Stephen Stukel was an early settler near Linkville. He didn't stay long; after a few years he moved to the Merrill area.

Dave Sumner: Private.

Joseph Swingle: Sergeant. Enlisted in Oregon Company B as Second Sergeant 2 December 1872 and was discharged 2 February 1873. He supplied his own horse for the entire period. On 7 December he bought a pair of blankets ($15.00) and a saddle-blanket ($4.00); on 21 December he bought one pair of condemned blankets ($8.00), and on 10 January 1 pound of tobacco ($1.25). [MWCl 23]

O. H. Swingle: Petition signer (i and ii). Unknown.

J. B. Sykes: Took part in the Ben Wright expedition of 1852; one of the men who went out to reinforce Ben Wright's Volunteers about 6 September 1852.

T

Robert Taylor: Petition signer (ii).

Te-he Jack: Modoc warrior. Te-he Jack supported Captain Jack in a vote taken shortly before the First Battle for the Stronghold. He was murdered while a prisonner of war.

Hobert H. Thatcher: Sergeant. 4th sergeant in Oregon Volunteers, Company B.

George Thomas: Rifleman. Served in the California Volunteer Riflemen in the first battle for the stronghold.

George Thomas: Petition signer (i); unknown.

C. N. Thornbury: Took part in the Ben Wright expedition of 1852; one of the men who went out to reinforce Ben Wright's Volunteers about 6 September 1852.

Tom Sheepy: Old Sheepy's son. He remained at Dorris' Ranch when the others joined Captain Jack, and took no part in the war, but was nonetheless exiled to Oklahoma with the others.

W. F. Trimble: Private.

Isaac Tripp (c1825 - ? ): Petition signer (ii [probably]). A stock raiser from New Hampshire, Isaac Tripp was apparently at odds with the Lost River Modocs. He testified at the Otis conference in April 1872 that he lived three miles from Linkville, and that during the winter (1871/2?) he was on Lost River with Mr. Burnett's sheep. While he was there the Modocs broke into his house and stole his provisions, and finally ordered him out of the country.

James M. True: Petition signer (ii). Made complaint about the Modocs at Fort Klamath 3 January 1872, carrying a note from Andrew J. Burnett testifiying to his character.

Thomas Tucker: Private.

Tule Lake: Alexander McKay: "This lake is five miles west of Wright Lake [Clear Lake] at the nearest point, bears nearly northwest and southeast, and is about eighteen miles in length by an average of probably eight in width. The line between California and Oregon runs through the north end of the lake, leaving but a small portion in Oregon. To the north the country is mountainous and produces pine and various other kinds of timber. ... On the west there is a high rocky ridge, dividing this and Little Klamath Lake, while to the south is the lava bed in which Captain Jack defeated our troops under General Wheaton at the last battle."

Battle of Tule Lake (31 August 1852): When Ben Wright arrived in Modoc country in the summer of 1852 he found that the Modocs had been harrassing the incoming wagon trains, killing immigrants and destroying property. Travelers in a recently-attacked train were able to tell him the present location of the hostile force, and Ben Wright and his men promptly attacked them. The Modocs, still armed with bows and arrows, were no match for the guns of the Volunteers, so they beat a hasty retreat, rowing out into Tule Lake in their canoes, out of rifle-range. By shooting into the fleeing canoes, Ben Wright's men were able sink some of them, and some of the women and children drowned. Ben Wright estimated that the Volunteers managed to kill some fifteen or twenty Modocs in this engagement.

James W. Tullock: Corporal. 3rd corporal in Oregon Volunteers, Company B.

I. C. Turindge: Petition signer (i and ii). Unknown.

William W. Turner: Rifleman. Served in the California Volunteer Riflemen in the First Battle for the Stronghold.

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Ben Van Brimmer: Rifleman. Served in the California Volunteer Riflemen in the first battle for the stronghold.

Dan Van Brimmer: Rifleman. Served in the California Volunteer Riflemen in the first battle for the stronghold.

Van Brimmer's Ranch: Alexander McKay: "About fifteen miles nearly due west from the present camp of the Modocs is Van Bremer's, situated near the head of Willow creek, and about five miles from the southeast corner of Little Klamath Lake."

Francis Vanderhoff: Private.

George Vanderhoff: Private.

Garrett B. Van Riper: Petition signer (i and ii). Tradition has it that the Modocs burned down his house shortly after he left it to take his family to a safe place; I haven't found any contemporary evidence for this tale however.

Stephen Venator: Private.

Henry Vinson: Petition signer (ii).

James Vinson: Petition signer (i and ii).

W

J. D. Walker: Rifleman. Served in the California Volunteer Riflemen in the First Battle for the Stronghold.

William G. Walker: Private. Private, Oregon Volunteers, no company given in the records, though from the dates it must have been company A or B.

Ben Walton: Rifleman. Served in the California Volunteer Riflemen in the First Battle for the Stronghold.

Walter M. Ware: Private.

J. W. Webber: Quartermaster-sergeant, Oregon Volunteers, Company B. On 2 December 1872 he bought one saddle-blanket ($4.00), one overcoat ($15.00), and one overshirt ($4.00). On 8 December he bought one pound of tobacco ($1.25). On 31 December he bought one overshirt ($2.00), one undershirt ($2.00), two pairs of drawers ($2.00 each), and one pair of socks ($.50). On 7 January he bought a quarter pound of tobacco, and another quarter pound on 10 January. On 12 January he bought an undershirt and on 13 January another pair of drawers.

John Whistler: Private.

Henry C. White (c1833): Petition signer (ii). A farmer, born in Virginia.

Elkaniah Whitney: Petition signer (ii). Joseph Seeds mentions a Mr. Whitney in his testimony at the Otis conference.

Ben Wright (1828-1856): Indian fighter; later Indian Agent. An Indiana boy, Ben Wright came west in a wagon train in the 1840s. According to legend his fiancee was murdered by Indians on their way out west, and from this occurrance came his notorious hatred for native Americans. True or not, Ben Wright enjoyed killing Indians. It was a kind of hobby with him. He doesn't seem to have been particular; one tribe was as good as another. In 1852 he fought a group of Modocs who were preying on the incoming wagon trains, forcing them to desist, and followed up on this success by treacherously murdering a large number of them at a peace conference. Appointed Indian Agent by Joel Palmer (who ought to have known better), Wright was murdered by some of his charges in 1856.

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