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FeedWhere the Old West Still Lives: Modoc County
Most Californians have never traveled to the four corners of their state, at least three of them, anyway. One corner of California is actually pretty busy and many of us have been there. That's the southwest corner that consists of the San Diego metropolitan region. But the other three are anything but overrun, especially the northeast corner that rubs borders with Nevada and Oregon. This is the place where Old West still lives. Modoc County.
Modoc County has about 9,000 people and just one stoplight that blinks red on and off in the county seat of Alturas. It's a big, broad and rugged territory where cattle outnumber people, where the wide-open landscape evokes Wyoming more than California and where rough mountains climb to sensational views of a Surprise Valley.
Modoc County is about seven hours away and 120 years back from the Bay Area. Travel north to Redding on Interstate 5 (don't miss the Sundial Bridge) and then northeast on State Highway 299 with Mt. Shasta looming on your left and Mt. Lassen luminous to the south. After Burney Falls (well worth a stop) a bit you pass through a time warp and into the nineteenth century in Adin, the first little town in Modoc. Onward through Alturas and over the majestic Warner mountains and you find yourself in the fine little community of Cedarville in the heart of lush Surprise Valley and at the edge of the Great Basin.
Nevada's northern desert is just to the east. To the north are the remote reaches of southern and eastern Oregon. This is one of the emptiest and least traveled quarters in the contiguous 48 states. In the early days of America's western expansion, people by the thousands passed through here in covered wagons heading for the promised land. The deeps ruts left by the wagon wheels can still be found carved into the unforgiving land.
The old west seems very much alive in Modoc County, a world away in our own home state. You can see it on video by going to my website, www.OpenRoad.TV. Then, go see it for yourself.
Posted at 10:56 AM in Doug McConnell’s OpenRoad.TV Tips | Permalink
Reader Comments:
We loved your article on Modoc County! And it's true that "The old west seems very much alive" in our corner of this wonderful country. It's near where we decided to launch our project known as "The Old Yella Dog Ranch and Cattle Co.", but just over the state line east of Cedarville!
Six couples joined forces to buy some land and break ground a few years back to develop an 1880's working guest ranch in Vya, Nevada--even more "old west" than Modoc. It's our goal to preserve American Cowboy history and the often overlooked Nevada Ranching culture, far from the noisey crowds!
Take a gander at our website (www.oldyelladogranch.com), then mosey on over for a peaceful stay in our ranch house! We'd love to tell you our story when you have the time!
Linda "Parker Dantry" Walters, Marketing Director
Jon "Colonel" Walters, Managing Member
Comstock Compadres, LLC
Highway 34 near Highway 8A
775 267 2930 Business Phone
(when we can find a signal!)