Manzanar1

Manzanar War Relocation Center, located at the foot of Mount Whitney in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, was home to almost 10,000 Japanese American citizens and Japanese aliens during World War II. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which called for all people of Japanese ancestry to be moved inland away from the coast. This decision meant that 120,000 people found their lives turned upside down. Most of these people were American citizens. The picture to the right is what is left of the guard posts at the entrance to the camp.

The camp is made up of about 6,000 acres of a former ranch and apple orchard. Construction began in March of 1942. The entire camp was enclosed by barbed wire and secured by guard towers. Internees lost all rights as American citizens. They were not allowed to leave the camp. The internees lived in wooden barracks designed for short term living for soldiers. Most families lived in the barracks for three years. The building to the left is one of the few buildings still standing. It was built by the internees to be used as an auditorium and may someday be the home of a museum.

The Japanese Americans who lived in Manzanar tried to adjust to their new surroundings. When they first arrived, the wooden barracks were unfinished and full of holes. There were numerous wind storms and everything seemed to be covered in dust. The bathrooms were not partitioned so there was little privacy. Food was adequate, but the food provided did not fit the tastes of most camp members. As time passed, the internees did what they could to improve the camp. The picture to the right is the remains of a pond put in to make the camp feel more like home. I saw at least five other areas that had similar ponds.

The internees tried to find productive ways to pass the time. Schools were organized. Sports teams, particularly baseball were popular. Some people did war work and others painted, wrote poetry or worked on improving the camp. Many young Japanese American men volunteered to serve in the military. One of the all Japanese American units known as the 442nd became one of the most highly decorated units in the European theater. Over 16,000 other Japanese American men served in the Pacific as interpreters and intelligence workers. The picture to the left is of an oragami chain left by a recent visitor on one of the barbed wire fences.