Near Newell in Modoc County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Canby’s Cross
Photographed By Syd Whittle, April 10, 2008
1. Canby’s Cross Marker
Erected by Department of Public Works - Division of Highways. (Marker Number 110.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Landmarks • Native Americans • Wars, US Indian. In addition, it is included in the California Historical Landmarks series list. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1873.
Location. 41° 52.781′ N, 121° 21.95′ W. Marker is near Newell, California, in Modoc County. Marker is on California Route 139,, 0.2 miles Glendale Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Tulelake CA 96134, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Captain Jack’s Stronghold (a few steps from this marker); Battle of Dry Lake Memorial (a few steps from this marker); Warm Springs Indians (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Tule Lake Segregation Center (approx. 0.6 miles away); Tule Lake (approx. 0.6 miles away); Petroglyph Point
this page online
Regarding Canby’s Cross. The actual site is 14 miles west within the boundaries of The Lava Beds National Monument.
Also see . . . Wikipedia - Edward Canby. (Submitted on August 17, 2008, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona.)
Photographed By Syd Whittle, May 11, 2008
2. Canby's Cross Marker
The base holding the Canby's Cross plaque as well as the Captain Jack's Stronghold plaque
Photographed By Syd Whittle, May 11, 2008
3. Canby's Cross
Photographed By Syd Whittle, April 10, 2008
4. Canby's Cross
Inscription on Cross:
Gen. Canby USA was murdered here by the Modocs April 11, 1873
Internet Archive
5. Edward R. S. Canby
From: Pictorial History of the Civil War in the United States of America by Benson John Lossing, Vol. 3, 1868, page 269.
Photographed By Syd Whittle, May 11, 2008
6. Information Posted at the Cross Site
Over the years, various individuals and groups have made efforts to memorialize the death of General E.R.S. Canby, the only general to be killed in an Indian War. This wooden cross is a replica of an original erected by a U.S. soldier in 1882, just nine years after the event. Some of the very same troops Canby had commanded here in the Lava Beds were still fighting other Indian Wars, and public interest ran high.
Although the inscription on the cross may elicit strong emotions in some modern visitors, it illuminates the point that people see events through the lens of their own culture and time. In 1873, what some Modocs considered a justifiable war tactic, the U.S. Army considered murder. No monument commemorates the places where Modocs may have felt their attempts to live peaceably were betrayed.
More than any other Modoc War site, Canby's Cross represents the vast gulf between the perceptions of the two sides during wartime, and challenges us to look beyond history to the assumptions of our own cultures. As in all wars, there were no innocent parties in this conflict.
Although the inscription on the cross may elicit strong emotions in some modern visitors, it illuminates the point that people see events through the lens of their own culture and time. In 1873, what some Modocs considered a justifiable war tactic, the U.S. Army considered murder. No monument commemorates the places where Modocs may have felt their attempts to live peaceably were betrayed.
More than any other Modoc War site, Canby's Cross represents the vast gulf between the perceptions of the two sides during wartime, and challenges us to look beyond history to the assumptions of our own cultures. As in all wars, there were no innocent parties in this conflict.
Photographed By Syd Whittle, April 10, 2008
7. Canby’s Cross State Historical Landmark Directional Sign
Credits. This page was last revised on July 21, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 15, 2008. This page has been viewed 2,210 times since then and 31 times this year. Last updated on August 7, 2020. Photos: 1. submitted on July 21, 2023. 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 15, 2008, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona. 5. submitted on July 15, 2023, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 6. submitted on August 15, 2008, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona. 7. submitted on December 8, 2008, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
