Thousands of years ago, flowing lava cooled to form a natural fortress in an area that later became the center of the Modoc homeland. A series of events made this lava stronghold a focal point in the war to remove the Modoc from their land in 1872-1873. In 1846, the blazing of the Applegate Emigrant Trail brought the Modoc and settlers into increasingly frequent contact. In 1864, after years of conflict with settlers, the Modoc reluctantly signed a treaty giving up their homeland and moving to a reservation in Oregon with the neighboring Klamath and Yahooskin. In 1870, extreme hardship on the reservation and clashes with the Klamath prompted a group of Modoc led by Captain Jack to return to their homeland on the Lost River and demand a reservation there. In November 1872, a botched attempt by the U.S. Army to arrest Captain Jack and other leaders at their Lost River village marked the beginning of the Modoc War. While a small band of Modoc under Hooker Jim retaliated by killing 14 settlers, the majority immediately canoed to the safety of the Stronghold. From December 1872 to April 1973, about 63 Modoc men, along with women and children, held off some 600 U.S. troops and occupied the lava fortress, now known as Captain Jack's Stronghold, for almost five months.