In spring 2023, Tulare Lake reappeared in California's San Joaquin Valley after more than a century. Heavy snowmelt from the Sierra Nevada and repeated storms caused rivers to overflow. Water spread over 94,000 acres, covering farms and roads. To many, it seemed like sudden flooding. But for the Yokuts people, this lake, called Pa’ashi or big water, always existed as a living system. Tulare Lake was once the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River, fed by four rivers. It changed size with the seasons. Settlers drained the lake in the late 1800s to create farmland. By 1898, the lakebed looked dry and was declared gone. But floods in the early 1900s refilled it several times. The cycle of flooding and drying continued. In 2023, record Sierra Nevada snowfall and storms overwhelmed levees and flood barriers. Water flowed back to the low-lying historic lakebed. The new lake reached a size similar to Lake Tahoe. It brought back birds, fish, cooler winds, and wetlands, just as early settlers described. Yet much of the submerged land was farmed intensively for generations due to fertile soil and infrastructure. Farmers face repeated losses each time the lake returns, with climate change making floods and droughts more extreme. The Yokuts view the lake's return as a reminder that nature’s rhythms are not fully controlled. The 2023 flooding revives old questions about land use, Indigenous knowledge, and water management in California. As waters slowly recede, some fields may be farmed again, while others might stay waterlogged. The lake’s comeback may be temporary, but history suggests it is not the last time Tulare Lake will rise.