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History · Tulelake

Tulelake’s post office opened in 1931

Most of Tulelake was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1973. Below: 10 old photos and papers, maps from 1951 on, and the census since 1940.

1931first post office
0on the National Register
7%homes built before 1940
10old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Tulelake’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Tulelake began

When was Tulelake founded?

1931

The Tulelake post office opened in 1931, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1937.

First census: 785 in 19402020 census: 90295 years
Founding year: the first Tulelake post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1937.The full story ↓
The story

How Tulelake came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Tulelake.

Read it all →

The first public auction of Tulelake land parcels took place on April 15, 1931. Over 100 lots were sold for prices ranging from $65 to $350. In 1937, the city was incorporated. Today there are over 400 housing units.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Tulelake, 1931 to 1951

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1931Post officeThe Tulelake post office opens
  3. 1939In the archiveMigrant potato pickers, Tulelake, Siskiyou County, California, 8b34817
  4. 1951On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Tulelake, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1930s10 items
Migrant potato pickers, Tulelake, Siskiyou County, California, 8b348171939Migrant potato pickers, Tulelake, Siskiyou County, Ca…Migrant potato pickers, Tulelake, Siskiyou County, California, 8b348171939Migrant potato pickers, Tulelake, Siskiyou County, Ca…Mother and baby of family on the road, Tulelake, Siskiyou County, California, 8b348421939Mother and baby of family on the road, Tulelake, Sisk…Mother and baby of family on the road, Tulelake, Siskiyou County, California, 8b348421939Mother and baby of family on the road, Tulelake, Sisk…Freight car at potato shed. Tulelake, Siskiyou County, California1939Freight car at potato shed. Tulelake, Siskiyou County…Living conditions for migrant potato pickers. Tulelake, Siskiyou County, California1939Living conditions for migrant potato pickers. Tulelak…The potato shed during busy season. Tulelake, Siskiyou County, California1939The potato shed during busy season. Tulelake, Siskiyo…Bindles on shady side of Pastime Cafe. California, Siskiyou County1939Bindles on shady side of Pastime Cafe. California, Si…California. Siskiyou County1939California. Siskiyou CountyLoading sacked potatoes from shed to truck. Tulelake, Siskiyou County, California1939Loading sacked potatoes from shed to truck. Tulelake,…
1940s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
On the map

Tulelake on the map, 1951 to 1988

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Tulelake. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Tulelake on the 1951 USGS mapTulelake on the 1988 USGS map1951Tulelake sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Tulelake.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Migrant potato pickers, Tulelake, Siskiyou County, California, 8b34817
Retake this viewMigrant potato pickers, Tulelake, Siskiyou County, California, 8b34817, 1939

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Tulelake’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Tulelake, census by census

02004006008001,00019401960198020002020Peak: 1,028

Between 783 and 1,028 people in every census since 1940.

9 censuses, 1940–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Tulelake’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Tulelake

Nobody well known was born in Tulelake itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Carl BarksAmerican cartoonist · b. 1901
B
Brenda BakkeAmerican actress · b. 1963
Ralph HillAmerican runner; athletics competitor · b. 1908
Don Pedro ColleyAmerican actor · b. 1938
Sharron AngleFormer member of the Nevada Assembly from 1999 … · b. 1949
Charles O. PorterAmerican politician, member of the United State… · b. 1919
Help out

Finish Tulelake’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewMigrant potato pickers, Tulelake, Siski…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Tulelake’s history

What year was Tulelake founded?

The Tulelake post office opened in 1931, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1937.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (4), the Library of Congress (6), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.