The Tulelake-Butte Valley Fair Museum – Internment Collection Project is part of the overall Museum of Local History Project in Tulelake, CA. Early in our fair’s history (1957), Tulelake elementary school students took "show and tell" artifacts to the school. Soon their exhibit grew and the fairgrounds was chosen as its permanent home. The fair board and staff greatly supported the growing display and began housing the new "Museum" in their "Livestock Sale Barn."

In 1999, in their "Strategic Plan," the Tulelake-Butte Valley Fair Board identified the need to move the museum artifacts to a more suitable and accessible location. The museum had become a popular exhibit of the annual fair, but because of limited resources, it was only open during the brief period of the fair. Because it was housed in an unheated "barn," the artifacts were not being preserved properly. During a conversation, the fair manager and her sister came up with the idea of merging the museum with the fair office to permit sharing of staffing and resources. The Fair Board supported the idea.

Late in 2001, Fairs and Expositions funds for "capital improvement," which had been gathered over a 3-year period were pledged toward the project. The funds became seed money to apply for a CCLPEP grant for the purposes of preserving and expanding the exhibits of the Tule Lake Internment Camp. An original guard tower was purchased and moved to the fairgrounds. Half of an original barrack was also moved to the fairgrounds when its owner agreed to donate it to the fairgrounds, rather than burn it. He needed it removed from his property prior to onion farming season.

In the meantime, plans for the entire museum project were formalized and work began early in 2002. When the 5/15/02 notification of a $26,000 CCLPEP Grant arrived, our goals merged with the CCLPEP.

Three of the forty-three 4’x5’ display boards within the museum were created to tell Tule Lake Camp story, as well as a painted 3-D mural which allows visitors to view and experience the enormity of the camp. Original artifacts and an audio cassette tape tour containing the voices of Jimi and Eiko Yamaichi create an emotional experience for visitors.

The response has been overwhelming, far surpassing our objectives. More than 2000 visited the museum within 4 days of the fair. We are humbled by the honor of recapturing a segment of history that has touched so many. The history lives as it is preserved now in our Tulelake-Butte Valley Fair Museum of Local History thanks to the CCLPEP Grant. 

We have many plans to continue what we have begun. A shorter version of the 1-hour audio tape is being made for those who wish only to hear the WWII segment of our history. As we continue gathering artifacts, we plan to display Camp laundry facilities adjacent to the tower and barracks, and will pursue a broader collection of materials for public use within our research library. This project lives, as does the history it portrays.