Klamath County, Oregon

Klamath County, Oregon
Klamath County Courthouse in Klamath Falls
Location in the U.S. state of Oregon
Oregon's location in the U.S.
Founded	October 17, 1882
Named for	Klamath Indians
Seat	Klamath Falls
Largest city	Klamath Falls
Area
• Total	6,136 sq mi (15,892 km2)
• Land	5,941 sq mi (15,387 km2)
• Water	194 sq mi (502 km2), 3.2%
Population (est.)
• (2015)	66,016
• Density	11/sq mi (4/km²)
Congressional district	2nd
Time zone	Pacific: UTC-8/-7
Website	www.co.klamath.or.us

Klamath County (/ˈklæməθ/ KLAM-əth) is a county in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 census, the population was 66,380. The county seat is Klamath Falls. The county was named for the Klamath, the tribe of Native Americans living in the area at the time the first European explorers entered the region.

Klamath County comprises the Klamath Falls, OR Micropolitan Statistical Area.

The Klamath or Clamitte tribe of Indians, for which Klamath County was named, are the descendants of varying cultures of indigenous peoples, who have lived in the area for more than 10,000 years.

When European-Americans began to travel through the area in 1846 along the Applegate Trail, they competed with the Klamath for game and water, which precipitated clashes between the peoples. This was exacerbated by European-American settlers, who cleared the land to farm and encroached on hunting territory. They were successful in demanding the removal of American Indians to reservations.

The Modoc people, having been removed to Oregon to share a reservation with the Klamath, traditional rivals, wanted a reservation created on Lost River, near present-day Merrill, Oregon. Captain Jack led his band back to Lost River, but the US Army, accompanied by militia and citizens of Linkville (present-day Klamath Falls) arrived and convinced Captain Jack to return. An argument broke out, shots were fired, and the Modoc War began as the Modoc fled to Captain Jack's Stronghold in northern California.