Rowan Bolton

This project will digitize archival material, leverage remote sensing and GIS technologies, and create online platforms to decolonize the past, and present, of what was once California's largest body of water. Community engagement, emerging archaeological methods, and historical ecology will enable us to present a neglected part of California's history that has sweeping implications for contemporary communities, water access, and climate justice. Reviving memories of Tulare Lake through indigenous histories, the stories of marginalized settler groups, and ecological modeling will aid in confronting the past and preparing for the future in California's complex, vulnerable heartland.