Tule Lake is an intermittent lake covering an area of 13000 acres (52.6 km²), 8 km (5 mi) long and 4.8 km (3 mi) across, in northeastern Siskiyou County

Siskiyou County, California

Siskiyou County is a county located in the far northernmost part of the U.S. state of California, in the Shasta Cascade region on the Oregon border. Yreka is the county seat. Because of its substantial natural beauty, outdoor recreation opportunities, and Gold Rush era history, it is an important...

 and northwestern Modoc County

Modoc County, California

Modoc County is a county located in the far northeast corner of the U.S. state of California, bounded by the state of Oregon to the north and the state of Nevada to the east. As of the 2010 census, its population was 9,686, up from 9,449 at the 2000 census. The current county seat is Alturas, the...

 in California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, along the border with Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

.

Geography

Tule Lake is fed by the Lost River

Lost River (California)

Lost River begins and ends in a closed basin in northern California and southwestern Oregon in the United States. The river, long, flows in an arc from Clear Lake Reservoir in Modoc County, California, through Klamath County, Oregon to Tule Lake in Siskiyou County...

. The elevation of the lake is 4035 ft (1,229.9 m).

Tule Lake is located 2.4 km (1.5 mi), southwest of the town of Tulelake

Tulelake, California

Tulelake is a city in Siskiyou County, California, United States. It is named after the nearby Tule Lake. The population was 1,010 at the 2010 census, down from 1,020 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Tulelake is located at ....

 in Northern California

Northern California

Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...

 or Upstate California

Upstate California

Upstate California is a region of California consisting of its northernmost 20 counties, most of which are rural. Generally, this area consists of all territory within California north of the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento areas....

.

Wildlife and water

It is part of the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge

The Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife preserve operated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service located in the Klamath Basin in northern California near the Oregon border south of Klamath Falls, Oregon....

 and the Klamath Project

Klamath Project

The Klamath Project was developed by the United States Bureau of Reclamation to supply farmers with irrigation water and farmland in the Klamath Basin.The two main sources supply water for the project are Upper Klamath Lake and the Klamath River...

.

History

Canby's Cross

Canby's Cross

Canby's Cross is located in Lava Beds National Monument, about 3 miles south of Tule Lake, and 5 miles south-southwest of the town of Tulelake, California. It was erected to commemorate General Canby's death at a peace gathering...

 is located about three miles south of the lake; it is the site where General Edward Canby

Edward Canby

Edward Richard Sprigg Canby was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War, Reconstruction era, and the Indian Wars...

 was killed by the Modoc chief Kintpuash, also known to American settlers as Captain Jack.

During World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, the United States 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

Tule Lake War Relocation Center

Tule Lake Segregation Center National Monument was an internment camp in the northern California town of Newell near Tule Lake. It was used in the Japanese American internment during World War II. It was the largest and most controversial of the camps, and did not close until after the war, in...

, a Japanese American internment

Japanese American internment

Japanese-American internment was the relocation and internment by the United States government in 1942 of approximately 110,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese who lived along the Pacific coast of the United States to camps called "War Relocation Camps," in the wake of Imperial Japan's attack on...

 camp, is located to the east in neighboring Modoc County

Modoc County, California

Modoc County is a county located in the far northeast corner of the U.S. state of California, bounded by the state of Oregon to the north and the state of Nevada to the east. As of the 2010 census, its population was 9,686, up from 9,449 at the 2000 census. The current county seat is Alturas, the...

.