Cover Page

Table of Contents

Abstract

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Essay

Brief History

Gila River

Granada

Heart Mountain

Jerome

Manzanar

Minidoka

Poston

Rohwer

Topaz

Tule Lake

Isolation Centers

Add'l Facilities

Assembly Centers

DoJ and US Army Facilities

Prisons

References

Appendix A

Appendix B

Appendix C

Confinement and Ethnicity: An Overview of World War II Japanese American Relocation Sites by J. Burton, M. Farrell, F. Lord, and R. Lord

Chapter 1 (continued)
Sites of Shame: An Introduction

This report describes what is left at places where Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II, to the extent possible given the many facilities associated with the relocation. The present work is part of the National Landmark Theme Study called for in the Manzanar National Historic Site enabling legislation, to "...identify, evaluate, and nominate as national historic landmarks those sites, buildings, and structures that best illustrate or commemorate the period in American history from 1941 to 1946 when Japanese Americans were ordered to be detained, relocated, or excluded pursuant to Executive Order Number 9066, and other actions" (Public Law 102-248, March 3, 1992).

Methods included both archival research and field inspections, as well as informal interviews with former evacuees. Many primary sources were consulted, such as the relocation center newspapers (available on microfilm), blueprints and photographs from the National Archives, and materials in special collections at university libraries. Information was also solicited from federal land-managing agencies where sites associated with the relocation were located (the Bureau of Reclamation, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Forest Service), from State Historic Preservation Offices, and from the California Historic Resources Information System centers. USGS topographic maps, relevant archaeological reports, and National Register of Historic Places nominations were also consulted. Secondary sources used include a wealth of published books, articles, agency reports, and unpublished manuscripts.

Figure 1.3. Topaz Relocation Center in 1943. (National Archives photograph) Figure 1.4. Site of the Topaz Relocation Center today.

Field work included visits to all of the facilities run by the WCCA (Wartime Civilian Control Agency) and the WRA (War Relocation Authority) associated with the relocation, including relocation centers, isolation centers, and assembly centers. Many of the other sites where Japanese Americans were held that were run by the Department of Justice and the U.S. Army were visited as well. The current landscape was compared with old maps, blueprints, and photographs, to discover which of the existing features were present during the Japanese American internment (Figures 1.3 and 1.4).

The primary documentation for this project consists mostly of photographs, both color and black and white. Maps were prepared for features where access and time allowed. Former evacuees and local residents often provided useful information, and many times accompanied us in the field to point out and explain different features. Additional information was obtained from local museums and historical societies; many of these institutions have photographs, artifacts, documents, and even structures from the relocation centers. Chambers of Commerce and visitor information centers near the sites also provided tips on local resources.

The degree of preservation at the sites visited varied tremendously. At some, modern development has obscured most traces of the World War II-era buildings and features. Other sites have been protected by their isolation, or their location on undeveloped private or tribal lands. At a few sites relocation center buildings still stand, some abandoned and decrepit, but some still in use. Table 1.1 gives a general summary of the features remaining at each relocation center site; Table 1.2 lists the standing buildings and major structures present. Table 1.3 provides general information about the presence of features at each Assembly Center. Other facilities are considered in Table 1.4.

Table 1.1. Summary of Relocation Center Features.
(click image for larger size (~144K) )

Table 1.2. Standing Buildings and Major Structures at Relocation Centers.

Gila River - Butte Honor Roll Monument Sewage Treatment Plant Gila River - Canal Sewage Treatment Plant Granada Cemetery Monument Outlying Farm Buildings (pre-WRA construction, most still in use) Co-op Store Storage Room Water Tank Heart Mountain Honor Roll Monument Hospital Boiler Room Hospital Mess Hospital Warehouse Reservoir Root Cellar High School Storage Room Staff Apartment Jerome Hospital Smokestack Sewage Treatment Plant Water Tank Manzanar Auditorium (still in use) Cemetary Monument MP Police and Internal Sentry Posts Reservoir Sewage Treatment Plant

Minidoka Irrigation Canal Drops (numerous still in use) Root Cellar Sentry Post and Waiting Room at Entrance Poston I Auditorium and Classrooms Garage/Shop (still in use) Sewage Treatment Plant Poston II Sewage Treatment Plant Hospital Building (relocated, still in use) Poston III Sewage Treatment Plant Rohwer Cemetary Monuments, Headstones, and landscaping Hospital Smokestack Sewage Treatment Plant Water Tank Topaz Outlying Farm Buildings (most are pre-WRA construction, some are still in use) Tule Lake Farm Kitchen Stockade Jail Military Police, Administration and Staff Buildings (numerous still in use) Sewage Treatment Plants (2) Warehouses (several still in use)

Table 1.3. Summary of Features at Other WRA Facilities and Assembly Centers.
(click image for larger size (~84K) )

Table 1.4. Summary of Features at Justice Department, U.S. Army, and Prison Facilities.
(click image for larger size (~80K) )

Continued

Last Modified: Fri, Sep 1 2000 07:08:48 pm PDT
http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce1a.htm