32 feet Tall with a Spotlight on Top


100 miles of barb wire strung around the camp.
Jimi Yamaichi stands outside an existing perimeter fence on the east side of the camp. From here we can see the “width” of the camp all the way across the airport and to a stand of trees with Newell houses and businesses near Hwy 39. There were 28 towers guarding the main camp,11 surrounding the farm fields, and 100 miles of barb wire strung around the camp.


Tule Lake guard towers were the best looking of all the camps.
The unique Tule Lake guard tower stood 32 feet tall with a spotlight at the top. There was a trapdoor to keep unwanted visitors out of the guard tower. Jimi Yamaichi shows us a remaining pier along the cinder road at the camp’s eastern side. He notes that the pier concrete, which is bad shape, used canal water while the jail. still in relatively good shape, used well water. Jimi, a master craftsmen-builder, felt the Tule Lake guard towers, despite their purpose, were the best looking, from a design sense, of all ten camps. Once a craftsmen always a craftsmen.

Other Segments
FarmingBarracksJail-StockadeCamp LifeFood in Camp
Sake-Coal-CrossAfter SegregationRemnantsTowers and Fences
Parks & MonumentsLatrine LifePilgrimage

©2013 Anders Tomlinson and Jimi Yamaichi, all rights reserved.