Tule Lake Relocation Center and the Tule Lake “Segregation Center: From the Perspective of the WRA Photos
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Licensing |
The Tule Lake Relocation Center was one of the ten American concentration camps for Japanese Americans during World War II. The center was located in northern California 35 miles south east of Klamath Falls, OR. It was opened in May 27, 1942 by the War Relocation Authority. Sixty two percent of the inmates were American Citizens.
The following photos were downloaded from the National Archives. The photos were taken by War Relocation Authority (WRA) photographers who were constrained by WRA rules. The photos could not be sad or too happy. A sad photo would make the camp image suffer. A too happy photo would make the administrators look like coddlers. An example of images being too sad are photos taken by Dorothea Lange that were impounded by the Army. Lange was subsequently fired from her job. Ref. Dinitia Smith, NY Times, Nov. 2006, Photographs of an Episode That Lives in Infamy Retrieved March 17, 2011.
The photos are in three albums sorted by date:
Tule Lake Photo Album 1 >>
Tule Lake Photo Album 2 >>
Tule Lake Photo Album 3 >>
For those who would like more details about these images, go to the National Archives website. Hit "Digital Copies" and set limit to 1000. Type in "Tule Lake Relocation Center" and hit search.
Slides in this album |
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Tule Lake winter 1943A winter time scene looking east down the main fire break.
Tule Lake winter 1943 |
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About Tule Lake
About Tule Lake |
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About Tule Lake
About Tule Lake |
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Residential Blocks
Residential Blocks |
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The Concentration Camp
The Concentration Camp |
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The Concentration Camp
The Concentration Camp |
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Cause of unrest at Tule Lake
The cause of unrest at Tule Lake |
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Cause of unrest at Tule Lake
Cause of unrest at Tule Lake |
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Segregation and Expatration
Segregation and Expatration |
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Military Service
Military Service |
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Facilities built by the inmates
Facilities built by the inmates |
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Agriculture
Agriculture |