Type Intermittent lake Basin countries United States Max. width 4.8 km (3.0 mi) | Primary inflows Max. length 8.0 km (5.0 mi) | |
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Location Siskiyou / Modoc Counties, California, United States | ||
Tule Lake (/ˈtuːliː/ TOO-lee) is an intermittent lake covering an area of 13,000 acres (53 km2), 8.0 km (5.0 mi) long and 4.8 km (3.0 mi) across, in northeastern Siskiyou County and northwestern Modoc County in California, along the border with Oregon.
Contents
Map of Tulelake, CA 96134, USA
GeographyEdit
Tule Lake is fed by the Lost River. The elevation of the lake is 4,035 ft (1,230 m).
Tule Lake is located 2.4 km (1.5 mi), southwest of the town of Tulelake in Northern California.
Wildlife and waterEdit
It is part of the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge and the Klamath Project.
HistoryEdit
Canby's Cross is located about three miles south of the lake; it is the site where General Edward Canby was killed by the Modoc chief Kintpuash, also known to American settlers as Captain Jack.
During World War II, the United States federal government forced the evacuation of Japanese nationals and Japanese Americans, including citizens born in the United States, to numerous camps built in the interior of California and inland states. They were forced to sell their businesses and homes, and suffered enormous economic and psychological losses by being treated as potential enemies. The Tule Lake War Relocation Center, a Japanese American internment camp, is located to the east in neighboring Modoc County. Following World War II, the federal government awarded 86 farm sites on land reclaimed by the drainage of Tule Lake to returning veterans using a Land Lottery. A lottery was used because the number of applicants was greater than the number of homesteads available.