From the
National Park Service
Northeast Region

Dennis Reidenbach
Northeast Regional Director

09/30//2007

2007 Pacific West Region Winner
Manzanar War Relocation Center
Independence, California
Photographer: Steven Martin

Steven Martin's photo of the monument at the Manzanar War Memorial reminds us of one of the darker acts in America's history. On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the Secretary of War to exclude citizens and aliens from certain designated areas as a security measure against sabotage and espionage. As a result, 110,00 persons of Japanese descent, most of them American citizens, were forcibly removed from their homes in California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska, and transported to permanent camps far from the Pacific Coast. Manzanar was the first of these camps. Here, in the desert of the Owens Valley, 10,000 people were herded into barracks without being accused of any crime or given any hearing or trial. The camp closed on November 21, 1945.

For more information, please visit:
http://www.nps.gov/manz

If you have questions or comments about the 2007 NHL photo contest, please contact:
Lisa_Kolakowsky @nps.gov