In early 1942, the U.S. Government was frantically evaluating possible sites for internment camps for Japanese citizens in the western states. Tulelake was considered as a site due to the potential for agricultural production using internee labor. In April, 1942, civic organizations in Tulelake, Malin, Merrill, and Klamath Falls objected to locating a camp at Tulelake and instead suggested it be located on the Madeline Plains. However, the government decided on Tulelake, and the possibility of an internment camp on the Madeline Plains was ended.

Information from Forced Farming in America, Agriculture at the Tule Lake Relocation Center, 1942 – 1946, by Michael David Schmidli. Copies available at Margie’s Book Nook