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Modoc County

  • Modoc County Mines and Mineral Resources (circa 1915-1916) - Excerpts from Report XV of the State Mineralogist, Mines and Mineral Resources of Portions of California, Chapters of State Mineralogist's Report Biennial Period 1915-1916, Part II. The Counties of Butte, Lassen, Modoc, Sutter and Tehama, California State Mining Bureau, 1919, pp. 181-266. (Used with permission, California Department of Conservation, California Geological Survey.)

    Modoc County, by W. Burling Tucker, Field Assistant. Field Work in August, 1915.

    Description (of Modoc County)

    "Modoc County, situated in the northeastern part of the state, is bounded on the south by Lassen County, on the west by Siskiyou, on the north by the state of Oregon, and on the east by the state of Nevada.

    "Modoc County has an area of 3823 square miles. It is a succession of valleys, that in the past were inland lakes, and which follow one another through the county from north to south. In the northern end of the county are notable Goose Lake, Tule Lake, and the three lakes of Surprise Valley. These valleys are separated by low volcanic ridges, being bordered by bluffs of volcanic rocks.

    "The lava flows, with which the county is to a large extent covered, evidently had their source from Lassen Butte in the southern part of the county, and the peaks in the Warner Range for the northern flows. Probably some of the flows emanated from Mount Shasta to the west...."

    Railroad Facilities (in Modoc County)

    "The Nevada-California-Oregon Railroad traverses the entire length of the east side of the county, commencing at Reno, Nevada, and ending at Lakeview, Oregon. From the principal stations on this railroad the remote parts of the county are reached over good wagon roads.

    "Among the known mineral resources of Modoc County are: clay, coal, copper, gold, iron, quicksilver, salt and silver."

    The table* on pp. 240 shows the following statistics for the Modoc County Stone Industry: In 1915 the value of stone sold was $300 out

    (* Table entitled, "Modoc County - Table of Mineral Production.” This table will not be reproduced here.)

  • Modoc County Mineral Industry (circa 1919) - Excerpt from California Mineral Production for 1919, Bulletin No. 88, by Walter W. Bradley, California State Mining Bureau, 1920, pp. 154.

    Area: 3,823 square miles.
    Population: 5,425 (1920 census)
    Location: The extreme northwest corner of the state.

    "Modoc County, like Lassen, has only in recent years had the benefit of communication with the outside world by rail. Among its known mineral resources are: Clay, coal, gold, iron, quicksilver, salt, and silver.

    "In fifty-third place, commercial production for 1919 was as follows:

    (Headings for the information below are: Substance, Amount, and Value.)

    Stone, miscellaneous, ---, $550
    Other minerals,* ---, $8,120
    (Total value) $8,670

    (* Includes gold, salt, and silver.)

    Modoc County, 1916 Map, from California Mineral Production for 1919 (with County Maps), Bulletin No. 88, by Walter W. Bradley, California State Mining Bureau, San Francisco: California State Printing Office, 1920, pp. 182. Modoc County , 1916 Map

Modoc County - List of Stone Quarries, Etc.*

(* Please note this list does not include sand or gravel quarries.)

  • Alturas, Modoc County, California - Tuff & Sandstone Quarries (Tuff & Sandstone) - Excerpt from the Tenth Annual Report of The State Mineralogist For The Year Ending December 1, 1890, California State Mining Bureau, Sacramento : State Printing Office, 1890, pp. 334.

    Modoc County, by E. B. Preston, E.M., Assistant in the Field.

    • “Following the road along the river, we have an extended view of the Warner Range, with its commanding peaks sloping down into the valley, while close along the banks of the river we find cones of a very recent sandstone. South of Alturas about three miles, tuff as well as sandstones are quarried, and used to a limited extent for building purposes in and around town. A Catholic Church of some size is being built with the materials, but it has not sufficient resistance to pressure to make a first-class building stone....”

  • Canby Bridge, Modoc County, California - Crushed Stone Quarrying at Canby Bridge (Stone) (From Geology of Northern California, Bulletin 190, Edgar H. Bailey, Editor, United States Geological Survey, California Division of Mines and Geology, Ferry Building, San Francisco. 1966, "Economic Mineral deposits of the Cascade Range, Modoc Plateau, and Great Basin Region of Northeastern California," by Thomas E. Gay. Jr. (Stone, crushed, pp. 104) (Used with permission, California Department of Conservation, California Geological Survey.)

    "Like sand and gravel, and volcanic cinders, crushed stone is produced and used throughout the region in undetermined tonnages, with almost all being used for asphalt concrete aggregate and road building material. Various Tertiary and Quaternary basalt and andesite flows are sources of high-specification crushed stone throughout the region; notable quarries are at Canby Bridge and Likely, Modoc County.."

  • Likely, Modoc County, California - Crushed Stone Quarrying at Likely (Stone) (From Geology of Northern California, Bulletin 190, Edgar H. Bailey, Editor, United States Geological Survey, California Division of Mines and Geology, Ferry Building, San Francisco. 1966, "Economic Mineral deposits of the Cascade Range, Modoc Plateau, and Great Basin Region of Northeastern California," by Thomas E. Gay. Jr. (Stone, crushed, pp. 104) (Used with permission, California Department of Conservation, California Geological Survey.)

    "Like sand and gravel, and volcanic cinders, crushed stone is produced and used throughout the region in undetermined tonnages, with almost all being used for asphalt concrete aggregate and road building material. Various Tertiary and Quaternary basalt and andesite flows are sources of high-specification crushed stone throughout the region; notable quarries are at Canby Bridge and Likely, Modoc County.."

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