An Old Dried Up Lake Reemerges

Lake Tulare, CA History

Lake Tulare, located in the Central Valley of California, has a rich and fascinating history. While it no longer exists as a natural lake today (Technically), it played a significant role in the region's development and the lives of its inhabitants.

Prior to European settlement, the area around Lake Tulare was inhabited by Native American tribes, including the Yokuts and Miwok. These indigenous peoples relied on the lake's abundant resources for sustenance and cultural activities. The lake provided them with fish, waterfowl, and other wildlife, as well as a source of transportation.

In the late 18th century, Spanish explorers, including Juan Bautista de Anza, traveled through the Central Valley, encountering the lake. However, it was not until the early 19th century that the lake's significance began to grow during the Mexican era.

After the United States acquired California following the Mexican-American War, American settlers arrived in the region. The discovery of gold in California in 1848 brought an influx of people to the state, including the Central Valley. The fertile land surrounding Lake Tulare attracted farmers and ranchers who saw the area's potential for agricultural development.

Over time, the lake and its surrounding wetlands were extensively modified to make way for agriculture. The Tulare Lake Basin became a vital agricultural region, with crops such as wheat, cotton, and citrus thriving in the fertile soil. The lake provided irrigation water to sustain the growing agricultural industry in the area.

Decline and Disappearance:

Due to a combination of factors, including water diversions and extensive land drainage for agriculture, the once-vast Lake Tulare began to shrink. The lake's water sources, primarily the Kings, Kaweah, and Tule rivers, were heavily utilized for irrigation, leading to a significant reduction in the lake's water levels.

By the late 19th century, the lake's decline was evident, and it eventually dried up completely. The construction of levees and the extensive rerouting of waterways further contributed to the disappearance of the lake.

Today, Lake Tulare exists only in historical accounts, photographs, and maps. The agricultural industry continues to thrive in the region, with a focus on crop production and dairying. Efforts have been made to restore some wetland areas and enhance water management practices to mitigate the impacts of the lake's disappearance.

The historical significance of Lake Tulare as a natural resource and cultural center remains deeply ingrained in the heritage of the Central Valley. It serves as a reminder of the complex relationship between human activities, natural resources, and the challenges of sustainability.

Though the lake dried up and the there was a loss of its abundance, this gave new space to start utilizing the land for more farmland and ranches. Today, the basin encompasses a significant portion of the Central Valley, an extensive agricultural region in California. The area is home to numerous farms and ranches that contribute to the state's agricultural output.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture's 2017 Census of Agriculture, Tulare County, which includes a portion of the Lake Tulare Basin, had over 3,400 farms. These farms covered a wide range of agricultural activities, including crop production, livestock operations, and dairy farming.

Is The Lake Coming Back?

Lake Tulare, CA was the largest fresh water lake West of the Mississippi over a hundred years ago. It dried up and people started settling into the area that was once a lake as we discussed earlier.

Farmers, ranchers, and others flocked to this area for the available land that would be turned into many of the crops we see in our stores today. Citrus fruits, grapes, figs, olives, vineyards of all kinds, grains, and vegetables all grow there.

About every 40ish years this valley gets flooding and it moves into the farmland. It normally takes roughly 2 years for the water to recede out and dry up. HOWEVER, this year with the record rainfall/snowfall so late in the season of 2023 it has created the perfect storm to swallow up this valley once again and turn the lake back to its historic glory. The only thing is, this is the worse its ever been. Farms, ranches, cities, homes will all be lost in this flood.

Bryan Diaz and I had the opportunity to visit a few weeks ago to film this historic event for one of our clients that is working on flood response projects.

There is very little media coverage of this historic event. This will be an ongoing issue for many years to come and very few people are aware of its current state. Though there is a lot of damage and a lot of people that are going to be fighting this battle for a long time, there are hard working blue-collar folks that are at the front lines to make sure the damage by this natural event is at a minimum. The photo below shows a Levy built around a ranch to keep the water at bay holding more than 30,000 cows.

As the water rises each day, construction companies like David Cruce and his team at Heavy Road Industries are in a race against the clock. David and his team were tasked with creating 25'+ walls around multiple power substations and farms. As you can see in some of these photos the water is getting very close and the tide rises by the minute. After constructing the walls, the only way to visit these substations will be by boat or helicopter. All roads will be gone.

It is people like these folks that do not get much exposure but who are working countless hours to make sure farms are saved, homes keep their power and that logistics can keep rolling. Thank God for our blue-collar brother and sisters out there working hard. This country would fall if it weren't for the trades.

Learn more about David and his team at his website: https://www.heavy-road.com/

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