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California State...
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California Counties
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California Counties
The U.S. state of California is divided into fifty-eight counties.
On January 4, 1850, the California constitutional committee recommended the formation of 18 counties. They were
Benicia, Butte, Fremont, Los Angeles, Mariposa, Monterey, Mount Diablo, Oro, Redding, Sacramento, San Diego, San
Francisco, San Joaquin, San Jose, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Sonoma, and Sutter. On April 22, the counties
of Branciforte, Calaveras, Coloma, Colusi, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Trinity, and Yuba were added. Benicia was
renamed Solano, Coloma to El Dorado, Fremont to Yola, Mt. Diablo to Contra Costa, San Jose to Santa Clara, Oro
to Tuolumne, and Redding to Shasta. One of the first state legislative acts regarding counties was to rename
Branciforte County to Santa Cruz, Colusi to Colusa, and Yola to Yolo.
The last California county to have been established is Imperial County in 1907. |
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Modoc County, California
Modoc County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Alturas
Year Organized: 1874
Square Miles: 3,944 |
Court House: 204 S Court Street
County Courthouse
Alturas, CA 96101-0130
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Etymology - Origin of County Name
It derived its name from a fierce Indian tribe that lived at
the Pit River headwaters. One historian suggests that the word modoc means "the
head of the river." Another states that the word is derived from the Klamath
word moatakni meaning "southerners," i.e., the people living south of the
Klamath tribe.
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick
Facts
History
Modoc County, California was created in February 17, 1874, from the eastern section of Siskiyou County. It was first
purposed to name the new county "Canby" for General who lost his life in the Modoc Indian War. Later name "Summit" was
suggested but there were many objections and it was finally named Modoc.
Modoc County is a land which the Indians called "The Smiles of God" and so intense was their love for this land of
ragged lava plateaus, fertile valleys and towering mountains that many hundreds of these aboriginal inhabitants defended
it to their death against the invasion of the white man. Because of those fierce Indian wars between 1848 and 1911, this
area was once referred to as the Bloody Ground of the Pacific.
It was felt that the land which is now known as Modoc County, underwent more government changes in its time than any
other county in the state.
In the beginning, Modoc was a part of the Utah Territory, and then transferred into the Nevada Territory when it was
created. When Nevada became a state, Modoc County was placed within the boundaries of California, becoming a part of
Shasta County.
Shasta County contained what is now Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama, Lassen and Modoc counties. Shasta County was divided into
two counties in 1852, Shasta and Siskiyou, with Modoc being placed in Siskiyou County.
In 1872, an effort was made by the residents of Surprise Valley, along with others who had settled in this area, to form
a new county. On February 17, 1874, a bill was passed and signed by then Governor Newton Booth authorizing the formation
of a new county -- Modoc.
An election was held on May 5, 1874, to elect county officials and to select a county seat. Lake City received the
highest votes as to being the county seat; however, the county fathers decided to Make Dorris Bridge (now Alturas) the
county seat, as it contained the majority of people. It was also felt that Dorris Bridge would serve the interests of
the new county to better advantage than Lake City, as it was located at the crossroads of the main north-south and
east-west routes.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 4,203 square miles (10,887 kmē),
of which, 3,944 square miles (10,215 kmē) of it is land and 259 square miles (672 kmē) of it (6.17%) is
water.
Neighboring Counties:
- North: Lake County, Ore.
- Southeast: Washoe County, Nev.
- South: Lassen County
- Southwest: Shasta County
- West: Siskiyou County
- Northwest: Klamath County, Ore.
Cities and Towns:
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- Alturas
(County Seat) |
city |
Incorporated Area |
County Resources:
Enter County Resources and Information Here
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Online High Schools
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County Resource Guide
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The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic
features of our country!"
But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.
Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally,
act locally." |
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