Regional documentary to air

Former Chiloquin resident films ‘The Modoc War’ for OPB 

By LEE JUILLERAT 

H&N Regional Editor

October 19, 2011

     While growing up in Chiloquin, Kami Horton was aware of the Modoc War but, as she admits, not all that interested.

   “It seemed like it happened so long ago,” Horton recalls of learning about the 1872-1873 Modoc War, which was mostly fought in what is now Lava Beds National Monument and in areas near Malin, Merrill and Newell.

   That’s all changed.

   Having recently completed “The Modoc War,” a documentary for Oregon Public Broadcasting’s “Oregon Experience” program, she’s gained new insights and appreciations.

   “It isn’t ancient history,” says Horton, 41, a 1988 graduate of Chiloquin High School. “It’s really a fascinating story   on so many levels.”

   As part of her preparation for writing and producing “Modoc War,” she met with and interviewed Lynn Schonchin, a Modoc descendant who was her high school history teacher.

   “It was different talking to him as an adult,” Horton says.

   The project also renewed her friendship with Taylor David, the Klamath Tribes public information manager. The two were high school classmates.  

   Horton admits her perspectives about the war changed.

   “To actually get a chance to read all those government documents and to see how many were absolutely wrong. It was interesting to see how things were perceived back then,” she says.

   “The Indians for the most part didn’t tell their stories. There wasn’t a lot from the Modoc point of view,” she says. “I wanted to present them (Modocs) as real people who made   good and bad choices … people who were put in extreme circumstances. I’m just trying to bring it to life as much as possible.”     

   The project was scheduled for a half-hour segment, but as Horton did her research, squeezing the show into 30 minutes became more difficult. Along with reading through copious volumes of information, she made Klamath Basin visits. She visited with descendants of Modoc warriors, including Cheewa James, and toured and filmed battle sites. Working with the Klamath County Museum, she gleaned through more than a thousand historic photographs.

   “We tried to do it as a half-hour, but it just didn’t work,” she said.  

   ‘Living in a museum’

   Working in history related television production is a natural fit for Horton. She moved to Chiloquin in 1981 as a fifth-grader when her stepfather, Rick Bauman, took over as park manager at Collier Memorial State Park and Logging Museum.

   “I grew up in a living museum,” she says. “I think that really did a lot to shape me in my interest in history.”

   Horton graduated from Southern Oregon State University and worked at KTVL in Medford before joining OPB. During the past six years she’s produced documentaries on William Gladstone Steele, the Civilian Conservation Corps and “Street Car City,” among others.

   She’s pleased to have completed “The Modoc War,” and pleased to be previewing it in Klamath Falls.

   “This is one of the stories I’ve wanted to do for a long time,” Horton says.