Ancestral Territory (The 100 Mile Square)
The Territory of the Tribe consists of all ancestral lands recognized by the Indian Claims Commission in its July 29,1959, (7 Indian Claims Commission, 815-863 Appendices A & B pages 1-49) findings of fact and opinion in Docket No. 347, i.e., the 100-mile square as described in Docket No. 347, and specifically including, but not limited to, the XL Ranch, Montgomery Creek, Roaring Creek, Big Bend, Burney, Lookout, and Likely Rancherias, the 13 acres deeded to the United States by the State of California in trust for the Pit River Home and Agricultural Cooperative Association as trustee for the Tribe, Modoc County Assessor’s parcels 013-172-07 and 013-191-01, and any other property that hereafter may be acquired by or for the Tribe.
The Pit River Indians have a varied material culture in response to great variation in elevation, climate, and vegetation of their homeland. In the west Mount Shasta, 14,162 feet, and Lassen peak, 10,466 feet, served as the northwest and southwest corners of Pit River Indian territory. The eastern boundary separating the Pit River from the Northern Paiute is marked by the Warner Range with a half-dozen peaks ranging from 7,843 to 9,934 feet above sea level. Twenty peaks over 6,000 feet elevation are scattered over the Pit River interior area, breaking it into many distinct valley and stream systems.