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APPENDIX A
Report to the President:
Japanese-American Internment Sites Preservation
Site Specific
Information and Recommendations
A short overview of each of the Relocation Centers as well as DOI's recommendations for these sites is listed below. Appendix A contains more detailed information about each of the Relocation Centers, DOI's recommendations, and specific consultations with national, State and local organizations regarding preservation and/or interpretation.
Manzanar is located in California and is under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service. The Manzanar National Historic Site was established by P.L. 102-248 in 1992 to preserve and interpret a representative War Relocation Center as an aspect of the nation's Pacific Campaign of World War II. The National Park Service will complete rehabilitation of the Manzanar Relocation Center Auditorium and open it to the public in early 2003 as the Manzanar National Historic Park Visitor Center. The interpretive plan for the Relocation Center will provide information not only on Manzanar, but general information for all the War Relocation Center sites.
The NPS has developed a World Wide Web site for Manzanar (www.nps.gov/manz). In addition to specific information about the Manzanar experience, the site also includes a link to the "Confinement and Ethnicity" report. This comprehensive study provides an overview of all of the Japanese-American Internment Sites.
Tule Lake is located in California and includes 23 acres under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Reclamation. The land, while owned by Reclamation as part of the Klamath Project, is currently used by the Tulelake Irrigation District. A remaining War Relocation Authority building is also used by the district for a small amount of storage. The majority of the remaining structures are on State land and are used by CalTrans (California Department of Transportation). The State of California is currently considering the addition of a wayside rest area at Tule Lake. DOI will work with CalTrans to secure federal funding (TEA-21 grant) or State funding to develop a wayside rest area. A large monument of basalt rock and concrete, which is not located on Reclamation land, is along the north side of State Highway 139 and commemorates the relocation center. The monument, dedicated in 1979, incorporates multiple levels of rock walls, a concrete apron, and a state historical marker. The Tule Lake Historic Preservation Committee has been active in preservation efforts for the site and has developed a proposal to create a living memorial at Tule Lake.
The National Park Service plans to conduct a Special Resource Study to evaluate options for protection and interpretation of Tule Lake under the Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park Establishment Act of 2000, as discussed above in the Consultation section of this report.
Granada is located in Colorado, and is owned and being maintained by the Town of Granada with assistance from various volunteer groups. Maintenance activities are directed toward maintenance of the cemetery, clean up, and prevention of vandalism. Some interpretive work is in place through the help of the volunteers. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Colorado State Register of Historic places.
The NPS will conduct a Special Resource Study to evaluate options for protection and interpretation of Granada under the Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park Establishment Act of 2000, as discussed above.
Topaz is located in Utah and the majority of the site is privately held. The Topaz Preservation Board owns 415 acres of the original 640 acres of the Relocation Center. Several other private individuals own the rest. Five modern houses are built on the Internment site lands. Further development of an additional 38 acres is currently planned. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) currently has jurisdiction over several large dump sites, guard tower foundations, and the sewer plant. These sites are located on the western boundary of the original Internment site.
Currently, the Topaz Preservation Board is the recipient of a Getty Foundation Grant, that is being utilized in the development of a preservation plan for the site. Furthermore, the Topaz Preservation Board has begun to acquire funding for a museum, but lacks the funds necessary for the completion of construction and development. The BLM, working together with the State Historic Preservation Officer and the Topaz Preservation Board, will pursue increased historic recognition for the site.
Heart Mountain is located in Wyoming and includes 73.93 acres under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation). It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Wyoming congressional delegation appears to be supportive of the preservation and protection of the site. Three areas have intact features:
- the administration and hospital complexes, on Reclamation land;
- the warehouse and root cellar areas on private land; and
- a portion of the high school, also on private land.
Fifteen miles north of Cody along U.S. Highway Alt. 14, there is a historical monument placed by the American Legion and a directional sign to the relocation center memorial park. The original honor roll, which was inscribed with the names of soldiers from the relocation center, is the central piece of the Heart Mountain Memorial Park initiated by the Heart Mountain Relocation Center Memorial Association.
Reclamation plans to investigate the possibility of partnership opportunities with local organizations for the management of the site. In particular, the Heart Mountain, Wyoming Foundation has been extremely active in preservation efforts for the site. The Foundation received a $500,000 grant in the VA-HUD appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2001 which will be used to construct a Learning Center. The Foundation currently has a purchase option with a private property owner for 50 acres of the original camp site land on which to place the Learning Center. The Foundation also is currently trying to raise the funds necessary to purchase this land.
Minidoka is located in Idaho and encompassed 950 acres. 84 acres are currently under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Reclamation, and resources on 6 acres are currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These six acres contain the standing basalt and concrete walls of what used to be a guard house and waiting room, a small area across the road from the guard house that once was an ornamental garden, and historical markers. These markers include interpretive and memorial signs and maps erected by Reclamation, the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and the State.
The Department plans to pursue NHL designation for the remaining 84 acres under the jurisdiction of Reclamation. NHL designation will increase the site's eligibility for preservation grant opportunities. In addition, the Department plans to investigate the possibility of partnership opportunities with local organizations for the management of the site.
Gila River is located on the Gila River Indian Tribal lands in Arizona and is not listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The site is sacred to the Tribe and access is restricted.
Few features remain at the relocation center site. Concrete slab foundations, manholes, cisterns, ditches and other landscaping features exist. An honor roll monument at the Butte Camp was built by the evacuees to honor those Japanese Americans from the Gila River Relocation Center who served in the military during World War II and included a reflecting pool and a ramada with concrete benches. The ramada, flagpole, and wooden facade of the monument that held the list of names are now gone. The Tribe allowed memorial markers to be placed at the two camps with the condition that the Japanese American community never ask for NHL official designation.
A permit from the Gila River Indian Tribe must be obtained in order to visit the site. Permits are $100, but the fee is normally waived for former evacuees and immediate family members. The Gila River Indian Reservation Cultural Center, located 4 miles north of the camps includes an exhibit and outdoor display about the Relocation Center prepared by the Arizona Chapter of the JACL.
The Department plans to consult with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Gila River Indian Tribe to determine their interest in preservation, protection, and recognition efforts. The Department also plans to coordinate with the State and local organizations to investigate the feasibility of developing off-site interpretation.
Poston is located on Colorado River Indian Tribal lands in Arizona. It is not listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Relocation Center included three separate units, Poston I, II, and III. Poston I was the largest of the three units and contains most of the remaining structures. The elementary school is the most prominent of the remaining features. The adobe auditoriums and nearby school buildings are still standing. In addition several buildings in the former garage area and the sewage treatment plant remain. Little remains at the other two sites.
Along the road at Poston I, there is a large monument and kiosk. The monument, dedicated in 1992, consists of a 30-foot-high concrete column with a 7-foot-wide hexagonal base shaped like a Japanese stone lantern. There is also a kiosk, dedicated in 1995. Both the monument and kiosk have interpretive signs that discuss the history of the relocation, Japanese-American military service, and the Colorado River Indian Tribe.
The Department plans to consult with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Colorado River Indian Tribe to determine their interest in preservation, protection, and recognition efforts. The Department also plans to coordinate with the State and local organizations to investigate the feasibility of developing off-site interpretation.
Jerome is located in Arkansas on privately held farm lands. It is not listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Very few features remain at the relocation center. The most prominent structures in the central area are a hospital boiler house smokestack and a water reservoir. The smokestack is in poor condition. In addition, there remain several concrete slabs for buildings that now serve as foundations for farm buildings. The only significant feature remaining in the outlying area is the Relocation Center's sewage treatment plant. The site is commemorated by a 10-foot tall granite boulder monument.
The Department, in consultation with the State Historic Preservation Officer, plans to pursue having the site listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In addition, interpretation for the site will be included in the Comprehensive Interpretive Plan for all Japanese-American Internment sites.
Rohwer is located in Arkansas on private lands. Few features remain at the Rohwer site. The most prominent is the Relocation Center cemetery, located in the outlying area which has been designated as a NHL. The cemetery includes 24 headstones, two large concrete monuments, a bench, a flagpole, sidewalks, and two entrance markers, all built by the evacuees. One monument, shaped like a military tank, commemorates the Japanese Americans in the 100th Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team who were killed in Italy and France. The second monument is to those who died in the Relocation Center.
In addition to the monuments in the cemetery, there are two recent monuments. One honors the 31 Japanese American soldiers from Rohwer who were killed during World War II. The other commemorates the relocation center and indicates that the cemetery is a NHL.
The Department, in consultation with the State Historic Preservation Officer, plans to pursue having the site listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In addition, interpretation for the site will be included in the Comprehensive Interpretive Plan for all Japanese-American Internment sites.
The Department is honored to submit this report and welcomes the attention that the President has shown to this important issue. The Department looks forward to fulfilling these recommendations to preserve and interpret the Japanese American Relocation Centers. It is imperative that all Americans know about this shameful period in American history. In the words of the State historic marker at Tule Lake, "These camps are reminders of how racism, economic and political exploitation and expediency can undermine the Constitutional guarantees of United States citizens and aliens alike. May the injustices and humiliation suffered here never recur."
Continued
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Last Modified: Fri, Jan 19 2001 07:08:48 am PDT
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