NPS Photo
Minidoka entrance area with historical commemorative plaques.
Minidoka Relocation Center was located in Jerome County, Idaho, 15 miles east of Jerome and 15 miles north of Twin Falls. Known locally as Hunt Camp, after the official Post Office designation for the area, since there was already a town of Minidoka in Idaho, 50 miles east.
Today there is a small gravel parking area, paths, and interpretative signs about the internment located at the stone guard house and waiting room beyond the Hunt Bridge. Also commemorated here are the Japanese Americans from the relocation center who died serving in the military during World War II. Nearly 1,000 from Minidoka served in the army; Minidoka had the largest casualty list of the ten relocation centers.
After the relocation center was closed a large number of the buildings were removed for various uses, including housing, migrant labor camps, meeting halls or for salvage value. The land was divided into small farms. Forty-three of these small farms were allotted in 1947 to World War II veterans, whose names were drawn in a lottery. In 1949 another 46 small farms were allotted. Each veteran also received two barracks. Therefore not much remains of the camp to help visitors understand the important story that happened there.
In 1979 Minidoka was added to National Register of Historic Places. In 2001 it became the 385th unit of the National Park Service.
