The Tule District of the Honey Lake Valley is the very lower end of the Susan River, where the river splits up into various sloughs.

In 1859, John Kelley of Missouri settled in this region. All was fine until 1863 when the United States Government surveyed the region. Under federal law, the most a person could file was 160 acres. Kelley had already claimed nearly 1,000 acres. Kelley concerned that he could lose his holdings wrote back home and encouraged fellow southerners to come out and join and settle on property he had claimed. Those who initially did were William Brashear, Robert Briggs, Chappell Kelley and John Saling.  In 1864, when Lassen County Surveyor E.R. Nichols who was doing work in the region, noted a number of residents had served in the Confederate Army and he dubbed the district the Tule Confederacy.

Not all the residents were southerners and there were conflicts between the neighbors. In the spring of 1864, John Purcell set fire to DeWitt Chandler’s house and claimed it a victory for Confederate States.

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