Interesting/unusual facts
The Gila River Indian Community objected to the selection and use of their land for a Relocation Center. The permit for the United States government to use the tribal land was reluctantly granted on October 7, 1942, after 13,000 internees had already moved in.
The center was divided into two camps, Butte and Canal. The two camps were about 3.5 miles apart and included a total of 1,181 buildings.
To protect internees from the intense desert heat, barracks were sheathed in white "beaverboard" and roofs were doubled, with red fireproof shingles on the top roofs.
Eleanor Roosevelt made a surprise visit go Gila River Relocation Center along with Dillon Myer on April 23, 1943.
On November 30, 1942 a group of men beat up Takeo Tada, a Gila administrator, believed by his attackers to be an "inu," or informer. A tense atmosphere ensued as the admitted perpetrator supported by the camp population was given a 30-day sentence. Unlike similar events at Manzanar and Poston, tension did not evolve into a campwide uprising.
Only one guard tower was erected at the Gila River Camp and it was torn down because of staffing limitations. Within six months, the perimeter barbed wire fence around each camp was removed.
Gila River operated a camouflage net factory for five months. A model shipbuilding shop at Canal Camp provided models for use in military training.
Butte Camp featured a baseball diamond designed by professional baseball player Kenichi Zenimura. It included dugouts, bleacher, and other features and could accommodate up to 6,000 spectators.
Gila River had an extensive agricultural program. At its peak, Gila farmed 7,000 acres, 3,000 of which were vegetable crops. Fields of livestock and marigolds were grown for camp use.
The Gila River Indian Community brought claims against the United States in 1971 for failure to comply with the terms of the permit agreed to in 1942. Damages were awarded to the community in 1976.

Land ownership
The relocation center site sits on lands owned and administered today by the Gila River Indian Reservation.

Special Designations
The Gila River Indian tribe granted permission for placement of one memorial marker at Canal Camp and two markers at Butte Camp. The Arizona State Parks Board prepared a National Register of Historic Places nomination in 1978, but it was later withdrawn. The tribe requested that the Japanese American community not seek official designations for the site out of respect for tribal sovereignty.

Preservation and Interpretive Efforts
Memorial markers are located at both sites. The Canal Camp marker includes a map, historical photograph and text. The two Butte Camp markers were placed near the servicemen's honor roll monument. The plaques were dedicated during the 50th Anniversary Gila River Relocation Center Reunion.
At the Gila River Indian Reservation Cultural Center, located 4 miles north of the camps along Interstate 10, there is an exhibit and outdoor display about the relocation center prepared by the Arizona Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League. The exhibit includes text, maps, historical photographs, and artifacts from the camps. The outdoor display includes replicas of the camp memorial markers.

Public access to the site today
The Canal and Butte Camps sites are sacred to the tribe; therefore public access is restricted. "No Trespassing" signs are posted and a permit must be obtained from the Gila River Indian tribe to visit either site.
The historic road grid, concrete slab foundations, manholes, cisterns, several rock alignments and dozens of small ponds remain today.

Local Resources
B. Elaine Notah: Land Use Ordinance Enforcement Officer
Gila River Indian Community
P.O. Box E, Sacaton, AZ 85247
Tel: 520-562-3301

Joe R. Allman: JACL, Arizona Chapter
3234 W. Mercer, Phoenix, AZ 85029
Tel: 602-942-2832. Call Joe first to arrange for a visit to
the site or acquire additional information.

Mas Inoshita: Tel: 623-937-8890. Former internee at Gila River.

Gila River Indian Arts & Crafts Center & Heritage Museum:
P.O. Box 457, Sacaton, AZ 85247
Tel: 602-963-3981 or 520-315-3411. Fax: 520-315-3968
Includes an Heritage Park, an outdoor village reconstruction,
an historical exhibit, arts & crafts exhibit, and restaurant serving
authentic Indian food. Free.
Daily, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Selected Books
Brown, G. Gordon. "WRA, Gila River Project, Rivers Arizona; Community/Analysis Section, May 12 to July, 1945, Final Report." Applied Anthropology, 1945.

Cates, Rita Takahashi. "Comparative Administration and Management of Five War Relocation Authority Camps: America's Incarceration of Persons of Japanese Descent During World War II." Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh, 1980.

Hansen, Arthur A. "Cultural Politics in the Gila River Relocation Center, 1942-43." Arizona and the West 27. Winter, 1985.

Spencer, Robert F. "Gila in Retrospect." In Ichioka, Yuji, ed. Views from Within: The Japanese American Evacuation and Resettlement Study. Los Angeles: Asian American Studies Center, University of California,
Los Angeles, 1989.