Cedarville

History

Originally known as Deep Creek, Cedarville was founded around 1864 as a stopping place for wagon trains. In 1867 a trading post was being run by William Cressler and John Bonner, who later also built the first road over Cedar Pass, which connected Surprise Valley to Alturas and the rest of Modoc County. The first post office opened in 1869. and once Fort Bidwell, to the north, was demilitarized Cedarville's central location and access to Cedar Pass made it the natural population and business center of the valley. A 1913 book described Cedarville as being on Middle Alkali Lake and having a population of about 500. The Laxague Lumber Company mill was located in Cedarville, and employed from 18 to 60 residents.

Geography

Cedarville is located at 41°31' North, 120°10' West (41.31, -120.17). According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of , of which 99.92% is land and 0.08% is water. The largest town in Surprise Valley, Cedarville is located on the alluvial apron at the mouth of Cedar Canyon, on the eastern base of the Warner Mountains, near the western shore of Middle Alkali Lake.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  251
• Dark-eyed Junco

  Junco hyemalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  215
• Common Raven

  Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  203
• Steller's Jay

  Cyanocitta stelleri (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  172
• Red-tailed Hawk

  Buteo jamaicensis (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  165
• California Quail

  Callipepla californica (Shaw, 1798) · Aves
  154
• Mountain Chickadee

  Poecile gambeli (Ridgway, 1886) · Aves
  149
• Northern Flicker

  Colaptes auratus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  145

Largest nearby schools

• Surprise Valley Elementary
  Elementary · Cedarville · 52 students · 13:1 ratio
• Surprise Valley High
  High · Cedarville · 44 students · 14.7:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3.25 — 2026-03-10
  36 km E of Bonanza, Oregon
• M 2.69 — 2026-03-07
  35 km E of Bonanza, Oregon
• M 2.66 — 2025-12-26
  51 km E of Fort Bidwell, California
• M 2.91 — 2025-11-29
  47 km E of Fort Bidwell, California
• M 2.83 — 2025-11-06
  9 km WNW of Lakeview, Oregon
• M 3.2 — 2025-07-18
  45 km E of Fort Bidwell, California