World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument

World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument was created to recognize sites associated with the Pacific theater of World War II and related home-front histories, including a unit in northern California that preserves a former Japanese American incarceration camp. The monument included multiple geographically separated units commemorating different aspects of the war and its domestic impact.

At the northern California unit visitors encounter interpretive remains of the Tule Lake Segregation Center, with signage and pathways that explain the camp’s role during World War II and the experience of internees. The site is focused on interpretation of incarceration and civil liberties rather than large visitor facilities.

The Tule Lake site functioned during World War II as part of the U.S. government program of incarcerating people of Japanese ancestry; it later became preserved for its historical significance and interpretive value. The broader monument was established to link Pacific theater battle sites with domestic sites tied to the war years.

The northern California unit sits in Modoc County near the town of Tulelake in the far northeastern part of California, close to the Oregon border.

• Tule Lake unit (visitor note): The Tule Lake unit preserves the site of a World War II-era incarceration camp for Japanese Americans and includes earthworks, building remnants and interpretive trails; seasonal visitor information and access conditions vary due to its remote northern California location.