Near Newell in Siskiyou County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Canby’s Cross
By Syd Whittle, May 10, 2008
1. Canby's Cross Marker
Erected by Department of Public Works - Division of Highways. (Marker Number 110.)
Location. 41° 52.783′ N, 121° 21.94′ W. Marker is near Newell, California, in Siskiyou County. Marker is on Emigrant Trails Scenic Byway (Route 139), on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Tulelake CA 96134, United States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Captain Jack’s Stronghold (here, next to this marker); Battle of Dry Lake Memorial (within shouting distance of 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 (approx. 2.8 miles away); Raptors - Birds of Prey (approx. 2.8 miles away); Burnett Cutoff - Muddy Waters (approx. 3.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Newell.
Regarding Canby’s Cross. The actual site is
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
Also see . . . Wikipedia - Edward Canby. (Submitted on August 17, 2008, by Syd Whittle of El Dorado Hills, California.)
Categories. • Landmarks • Native Americans • Wars, US Indian •
By Syd Whittle, May 11, 2008
3. Canby's Cross
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
By Syd Whittle, May 11, 2008
5. 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.
By Syd Whittle, April 10, 2008
6. Canby’s Cross State Historical Landmark Directional Sign
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on August 15, 2008, by Syd Whittle of El Dorado Hills, California. This page has been viewed 1,810 times since then and 17 times this year. Last updated on August 19, 2008, by Syd Whittle of El Dorado Hills, California. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on August 15, 2008, by Syd Whittle of El Dorado Hills, California. 6. submitted on December 8, 2008, by Syd Whittle of El Dorado Hills, California. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
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