Tule Lake

Tule Lake spreads across an ancient volcanic mesa for several miles. It was 60 % larger a hundred years ago, when the Modoc fished and wove tule baskets along its shores. Now the farmers have drained it, year by year, to a mere shadow of it's former vitality. The portion encompassed by Lava Beds National Monument protects diverse plant and animal life. The pictographs on the the rock outcrop which began as an island in the lake are protected also, revealing hundreds of years of Native American history.