Thomas-Wright Battle Site
Why it's listed
On April 26, 1873, a U.S. Army patrol led by Captain Evan Thomas marched south from Gillem's Camp on Tule Lake toward Sand Butte, now called Hardin Butte. The group stopped for lunch in a lava basin and was attacked by surprise by Modoc fighters who held the surrounding ridges. Of the patrol, 41 men were casualties and 25 died, including four of its five officers. The site is a broad basin of black lava scoria with native grasses, shrubs and a few scrub trees, and it looks much as it did then. A small pile of rocks marks where many bodies were found, and a few stone fortifications remain. The defeat was the low point of the Army's campaign and the last great Modoc victory. It brought Colonel Jefferson C. Davis into command, and within weeks the war ended with Captain Jack's surrender. The broken terrain helps explain how the Modocs defeated trained soldiers.
Significance in brief: The 1873 attack was a major defeat for the U.S. Army and the last great Modoc victory, and it proved the decisive turning point of the Modoc War. It exposed poor Army leadership, training and morale, and led to Colonel Jefferson C. Davis taking command. The rugged lava terrain also shows how the Modocs defeated professional soldiers on their home ground.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 78000366, listed November 15, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | S of Tulelake in Lava Beds National Monument, Tulelake |
|---|---|
| County | Siskiyou County |
| Listed | November 15, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78000366 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Areas of significance | Native American, Military |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is marked excellent and unaltered, on its original site. The area looks virtually the same as in 1873, except that most remains of the men and their gear have been removed. The form marks it as unoccupied. |
| Acreage | 510 |
| Coordinates | 41.76949, -121.52491 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Sites (archaeological sites, battlefields, landscapes) are often listed with a restricted address to protect them from looting or disturbance. Listing is honorary for private owners; federal undertakings on or near the site go through Section 106 review, and state laws may protect burials and artefacts regardless of listing.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 78000366.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.