Learn About the Park

A Note about Terminology:

It is important to accurately describe the history of the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II without perpetuating euphemistic terms that the US government and others employed at the time, or incorrect terms later substituted that do not adequately describe the injustice experienced by more than 120,000 people. For more information, please review the National Park Service article on Terminology and the Mass Incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.  
 
The National Park Service (NPS) units preserving Japanese American incarceration sites should provide places for people to learn about and reflect upon the historic events that occurred there.
 

 

Left image
Amache circa 1942, from the water tower.
Credit: Courtesy of Amache Preservation Society

Right image
Amache 2025, from the water tower.
Credit: Jesse Kuroiwa/University of Colorado VRC

 

Prison on the plains

Located in a remote corner of southeastern Colorado, Amache, also known as the Granada Relocation Center, was one of ten incarceration sites established by the War Relocation Authority (WRA) during World War II (WWII). It was created to unjustly incarcerate Japanese Americans who were forcibly removed from their communities on the West Coast through Executive Order 9066.

From 1942-1945, over 10,000 people of Japanese ancestry, most of them American citizens, passed through Amache. At its peak population in 1943, Amache housed 7,310 people, making it the tenth largest population center in Colorado at the time.

Amache today

After 1945, the most of the original buildings at Amache were removed or demolished. Despite that, Amache represents one of the most intact examples of a World War II incarceration site. The original building foundations and the historic road network are still visible on the landscape today. Amache also includes a historic cemetery, a monument, and several reconstructed and restored structures from the camp era.

Amache remains intact due to preservation efforts by the Town of Granada, Amache Preservation Society, former incarcerees and their descendants, and other individuals and organizations dedicated to enhancing the public's understanding of Amache’s significance.