TULE LAKE – The
roots of Tulelake
area homesteaders
run deep, and now
there is a monument
to honor their
legacies.
The monument —
erected in August
next to the Tulelake
visitor kiosk at the
north entrance to
town along Highway
139 — displays
photographs of World
War I and II
veterans and their
families who came to
Tulelake between
1920 and 1949 to
farm the area’s
fertile soil.
Veterans of both
wars were given the
opportunity during
that time period to
farm a piece of land
and start a new life
through a lottery
system.
Photographs of homestead families at the monument tell the stories of veterans from both world wars who came to Tulelake to start new lives.
U.S. Army veteran Jack Newkirk, like many others, drew the opportunity from a pickle jar, according to Jacqui Krizo, Newkirk’s daughter.
Photographs of homestead families at the monument tell the stories of veterans from both world wars who came to Tulelake to start new lives.
U.S. Army veteran Jack Newkirk, like many others, drew the opportunity from a pickle jar, according to Jacqui Krizo, Newkirk’s daughter.
Developing
the monument
Krizo, and her
husband, David, live
south of Tulelake
and helped develop
the monument from
concept to
construction, a
process about 15
years in the making.
Jack and his wife,
Helen, settled south
of town along
Highway 139 in 1949,
in what was known as
the area’s
“panhandle,” after
he won the
opportunity. He
farmed potatoes and
later horseradish
and grains.
“They just pretty
much re-routed the
water so they could
farm here,” Krizo
said, of early
settlers.
“It was sort of like
(a) gold rush town,”
Krizo added, of the
time period. “It was
like the American
dream.”
Just in time
for the fair
Krizo emphasized she
and her husband,
David, are elated
the monument can
share stories like
her parent’s and
just in time for the
Tulelake-Butte
Valley Fair, which
continues today and
through the weekend.
“So many people come
down for the fair,”
Krizo said. “I think
it means a lot to
the families.”
Justin Mann, of
Bonanza, built the
monument, with
permission from Brad
Staub to utilize the
property.
“He used fresh-cut
Juniper for those
posts,” Krizo said,
of Mann’s
construction of the
project. “He came
down and had it up
in three days.”
Krizo welcomes
additional
photographs from
descendants of
settlers in the
Tulelake area to be
included in the
monument display,
and can be reached
at 530-664-3862 for
more information.