Memorial to Heroes, Monument to Racism

[Bobcat]

Today I stumbled across human ugliness on the border of natures beauty. Maybe it was because I wasn't expecting it. Maybe it was the contrast; I'm not sure why it struck me so. Not far from the eastern entrance to Yellowstone National Park stands ruins of our shame and a testament to the perserverance of true Americans.

On my way to installing a seismic station today, I noticed what appeared to be a memorial along the road. I've seen such things before, and at that moment it was but a waypoint for me. Frequently I see a small war memorial erected by a local farmer or rancher. I suppose they are the ones to do such things because they, unlike most of us, have the land and equipment to build such things. Usually it commemorates the loss of a son or other family member. I would stop on my way back from the job site and pay my respects.

As I pulled up to the memorial, I could see a couple of plaques from my truck window. The date on the first one clearly identified it as a WWII memorial. Could have been an old army training fort or airfield. The picture of frontiersmen and indians on the second plaque still does not make sense to me, especially since the text identifies the site as a relocation camp. It is probably the emblem of the state office in charge of historic sites.





OK, this plaque finally explains the significance of these ruins. Here is our shame.




And here, ...here is the testament to the perseverance of true Americans.




Distrusted and rejected by their home country, they still defended it from the army of their ancestors.

 

[Deadly Sushi]

Thats really something isnt it? We kicked them in the ass for nothing and then they wanted to serve this country with their lives. Very very very touching. Great post ya mook.

 

[thcri]

Heart Mountain

On August 12, 1942, the Heart Mountain, Relocation Center in Park County, Wyoming opened its gates to Japanese Americans who had been forced from their West Coast homes by the Federal Government after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Before long, Heart Mountain would swell to Wyoming’s third largest city, housing nearly 11,000 citizen and alien internees in its tarpaper barracks and barbed-wire enclosures.

 

[American Woman]

Wow this is an emotional piece of history....And you know what? You NEVER hear JAPANESE Americans complaining, or holding a grudge. This was done to them because of our prejudice and not trusting our own JAPANESE Americans after the bombing of Pearl harbor.
We have come a long way since then.....because after 911 a lot of our prejudice against Muslims could have caused us to do the same thing...

 

[Bobcat]

Here is a plaque showing the layout of the camp. The inset picture gives you an idea of the scale of the place.




It's hard to imagine today that the barracks in the above picture stretched across todays alfalfa fields to seemingly the edge of Heart Mountain in the distance.





Here is a plaque decribing the administrative area of the camp followed by a picture of the still existing buildings.

 

[pirate_girl]

Bob this is an excellent thing to have found on your journey to inspire you enough to post about.
I'm not surprised.
Thank you.

 

[Spiffy1]

Great post Bobcat!

 

[American Woman]

All of those buildings are still there? Empty?

 

[thcri]

All of those buildings are still there? Empty?

No I don't think so, only remnants according to the web page. The do want to rebuild it though.

The web page is interesting on how these people took what they had and built business's and even an irrigation system still being used today.

 

[Bobcat]

Some of the administrative area buildings still stand.

 

[California]

Wow. Just wow.

I never understood until after I was an adult that ALL the Japanese-American kids I grew up with had been BORN in those relocation camps.

They were back in civilization by the time we started kindergarten and, more important, their American-oriented parents made darn sure they were fully integrated into the community so that what happened to those parents couldn't happen to their children. As kids we never though much about it, we just didn't know. The only thing I remember notable about a Japanese-American kid in my scout troop was that he was the shortest. I also remember the mailman occasionally mentioned something about having to make a new start but I had no idea what he meant. Looking back, I expect he owned a business or farm before the war.

Then in high school a girl I was sweet on insisted I had to drop her off a block from her house and never show my face there. Turned out her father hadn't gotten over his resentment of losing everything - I think a family farm - when they were forced to abandon everything on short notice and get on those trains.

That young woman grew up to be a JC professor of, you guessed it, American history. She has written a couple of books about the Japanese-Americans who never saw this coming.

I think the statistics are that her generation married more than 50% non-Japanese, as she eventually did.

My neighbor at the ranch is elderly now. He speaks of being raised on a farm nearby that was lost, repo'd by the bank, when they were forced to leave. They lost everything. After the war he came right back and was immediately offered a foreman/manager job running an orchard, by a neighbor he grew up with who respected him. Within a few years he owned an orchard then bought another, and today in his 80's he grows $2,600/ton Pinoit Noir grapes next door to me. He just says 'Life is strange...'. Both his sons-in-law are non-Japanese. There really isn't any 'them' and 'us', just, as Bob pointed out, some events in our past that we all hope won't happen again.

 

[Bobcat]

A little bit of the ugly...

WESTERN DEFENSE COMMAND AND FOURTH ARMY WARTIME CIVIL CONTROL ADMINISTRATION
Presidio of San Francisco, California
May 3, 1942

INSTRUCTIONS TO ALL PERSONS OF JAPANESE ANCESTRY

Living in the Following Area:


All of that portion of the City of Los Angeles, State of California, within that boundary beginning at the point at which North Figueron Street meets a line following the middle of the Los Angeles River; thence southerly and following the said line to East First Street; thence westerly on East First Street to Alameda Street; thence southerly on Alameda Street to East Third Street; thence northwesterly on East Third Street to Main Street; thence northerly on Main Street to First Street; thence north- westerly on First Street to Figueron Street; thence northeasterly on Figueron Street to the point of beginning.

Pursuant to the provisions of Civilian Exclusion Order No. 33, this Headquarters, dated May 3, 1942, all persons of Japanese ancestry, both alien and non-alien, will be evacuated from the above area by 12 o'clock noon, P. W. T., Saturday, May 9, 1942.

No Japanese person living in the above area will be permitted to change residence after 12 o'clock noon, P. W. T., Sunday, May 3, 1942, without obtaining special permission from the representative of the Commanding General, Southern California Sector, at the Civil Control Station located at:

Japanese Union Church,
120 North San Pedro Street,
Los Angeles, California.

Such permits will only be granted for the purpose of uniting members of a family, or in cases of grave emergency.

The Civil Control Station is equipped to assist the Japanese population affected by this evacuation in the following ways:

1. Give advice and instructions on the evacuation.

2. Provide services with respect to the management, leasing, sale, storage or other disposition of most kinds of property, such as real estate, business and professional equipment, household goods, boats, automobiles and livestock.

3. Provide temporary residence elsewhere for all Japanese in family groups.

4. Transport persons and a limited amount of clothing and equipment to their new residence.

The Following Instructions Must Be Observed:

1. A responsible member of each family, preferably the head of the family, or the person in whose name most of the property is held, and each individual living alone, will report to the Civil Control Station to receive further instructions. This must be done between 8:00 A. M. and 5:00 P. M. on Monday, May 4, 1942, or between 8:00 A. M. and 5:00 P. M. on Tuesday, May 5, 1942.

2. Evacuees must carry with them on departure for the Assembly Center, the following property:

(a) Bedding and linens (no mattress) for each member of the family;
(b) Toilet articles for each member of the family;
(c) Extra clothing for each member of the family;
(d) Sufficient knives, forks, spoons, plates, bowls and cups for each member of the family;
(e) Essential personal effects for each member of the family.

All items carried will be securely packaged, tied and plainly marked with the name of the owner and numbered in accordance with instructions obtained at the Civil Control Station. The size and number of packages is limited to that which can be carried by the individual or family group.

3. No pets of any kind will be permitted.

4. No personal items and no household goods will be shipped to the Assembly Center.

5. The United States Government through its agencies will provide for the storage, at the sole risk of the owner, of the more substantial household items, such as iceboxes, washing machines, pianos and other heavy furniture. Cooking utensils and other small items will be accepted for storage if crated, packed and plainly marked with the name and address of the owner. Only one name and address will be used by a given family.

6. Each family, and individual living alone will be furnished transportation to the Assembly Center or will be authorized to travel by private automobile in a supervised group. All instructions pertaining to the movement will be obtained at the Civil Control Station.

Go to the Civil Control Station between the hours of 8:00 A. M. and 5:00 P. M., Monday, May 4, 1942, or between the hours of 8:00 A. M. and 5:00 P. M., Tuesday, May 5, 1942, to receive further instructions.

J. L. DeWITT
Lieutenant General, U. S. Army
Commanding


SEE CIVILIAN EXCLUSION ORDER NO. 33.

 

[American Woman]

Wow Cali, you gotta a little bit of this history first hand....It feels good to read about the positive outcome. With all the griping some Americans do about immigrants (while forgetting what America is based on) And there's these JAPANESE Americans with their forgiveness and bravery that make for us a proud America.....

I was asking about the buildings, because We have a Florida State prison that used to be Air Force barracks. The land around them is now a state park and the barracks were turned into a prison. I was just wondering.....

 

[Bobcat]

San Francisco, Calif., Mar. 1942.

A large sign reading "I am an American" placed in the window of a store, at 13th and Franklin streets, on December 8, the day after Pearl Harbor. The store was closed following orders to persons of Japanese descent to evacuate from certain West Coast areas. The owner, a University of California graduate, will be housed with hundreds of evacuees in War Relocation Authority centers for the duration of the war.

Library of Congress. LC-USZ62-23602.
Mar 1942.

 

[American Woman]

Man! What a shame! I think the reason they were able to move on from this is because they were an educated people.....The majority of African Americans are still complaining and not taking advantage of starting over in America.

 

[Bobcat]

By the way, California, this is not the first camp I've seen. The first was Tulelake in NE California. That's barely a days drive for you. I recall a bit of a mural on a building in the town, or maybe it was a billboard, describing the history. It looked as if some of the original buildings still exist and are being used by local companies. I knew there were such places in California and Arizona, but this one in Wyoming caught me by surprise. Looks like there are even more out there...

 

[American Woman]

Americans did the same thing to the Native Americans. They have the last laugh also.

 

[California]

Tule Lake is where I think most Northern Californians were sent, but I've never seen it.

The one site I'm familiar with is Manzanar. It has always been visible along a remote stretch of US395. For years the guard station was the only recognizable feature. I've stopped there to think for a few minutes, several times. Then in recent years, work groups cleared the sagebrush and re-established some of the streets, and I think restored a few buildings. (US395 runs down the back side of the Sierras, Reno to Southern California. Manzanar is behind and south of Yosemite; maybe half way to the Death Valley turnoff. Very isolated, desert, terrain.)

Here's an interactive presentation. Click on one of the numbers to see a panorama from that point. (I really encourage everyone to see this. The country is gorgeous, with the Sierras right behind the camp.)

Article (2002) on restoring some buildings.

Fear No Trout. Kids will be kids. They snuck past the armed guards, under the barbed wire, and went fishing outside.

A modern (2006) pilgrimage of Sacramento-area people of all backgrounds:

And the article that photo came from is fascinating.

 

[Doc]

Good thread Bobcat. Very enlightening!

 

[thcri]

On August 12, 1942, the Heart Mountain, Relocation Center in Park County, Wyoming opened its gates to Japanese Americans who had been forced from their West Coast homes by the Federal Government

From what I read the Japanese were forced to go to these camps. So I ask the question, what if they were not moved to these camps? What would have happened to them here in the United States and would their history been totally different. I can't help it to think but was the silver lining a sort of protection for them?

murph

 

[American Woman]

From what I read the Japanese were forced to go to these camps. So I ask the question, what if they were not moved to these camps? What would have happened to them here in the United States and would their history been totally different. I can't help it to think but was the silver lining a sort of protection for them?

murph

It might very well have...considering the way some Americans would behave. They were already prejudiced towards the Japanese before Pearl Harbor. The problem I see with it being "for their own protection" is that it went on for too long.
These people were self supporting, college educated families. What a waste to take them out of society.
They persevered like this "blip" in their lives didn't happen. I have always respected them as intelligent hard working people, and even more so now.
It's a good thing Americans have learned from past mistakes.

 

[RedRocker]

Hind sight is 20-20, after Pearl Harbor they had no idea what was going on, or who was loyal to the US or not. It's easy to judge 70 years later after the fact, kind of like coming down on the US for dropping the A bombs. I'm not condoning what happened, but I can understand the mindset that created it.

 

[American Woman]

Hind sight is 20-20, after Pearl Harbor they had no idea what was going on, or who was loyal to the US or not. It's easy to judge 70 years later after the fact, kind of like coming down on the US for dropping the A bombs. I'm not condoning what happened, but I can understand the mindset that created it.

Considering how Americans after 911 were staring down Muslims or any brown skinned person for that matter, I think we have come a long way, in the fact this history wasn't repeated. Same scenario and no camps.

 

[RedRocker]

I'm not convinced that deporting all Muslims isn't the smart thing to do considering the way the radicals do business. Kick everybody out and do extensive background checks before letting them back in. Not possible or practical I know, but if a few nukes lite off in a big city or two it might seem like something we should have done. My observation is where ever they are in the majority that everybody else is SOL.

 

[American Woman]

I'm not convinced that deporting all Muslims isn't the smart thing to do considering the way the radicals do business. Kick everybody out and do extensive background checks before letting them back in. Not possible or practical I know, but if a few nukes lite off in a big city or two it might seem like something we should have done. My observation is where ever they are in the majority that everybody else is SOL.

If we did this we would be right back with where this thread started.
I think it was a mistake then, and it would be even worse now. There's no way we can blame the majority because of a few in this day and age...

 

[RedRocker]

In hind sight it was a mistake, but there was no way to know that then. If you look anywhere on the planet where Muslims are in big numbers like France, their behavior is very different. If you look at places where they are the majority, you see no other religions. The only reason they behave here is because they're out numbered.
I've read that only 10% of Muslims are so called radical, that works out to ten million, that's a lotta folks.

 

[American Woman]

If you look anywhere on the planet where Muslims are in big numbers like France, their behavior is very different. If you look at places where they are the majority, you see no other religions. The only reason they behave here is because they're out numbered.

Yeah, your right.....and I do believe it needs to stay that way here. I feel like for ALL the American Muslims, and that would include children, and the elderly.... to be put in a camp like this would be too harsh.

 

[RedRocker]

No camp, you're right, but deportation would work if warranted.

 

[American Woman]

No camp, you're right, but deportation would work if warranted.

Yeah...that in a heart beat....But where are we going to deport the American ones? I know that's what we have prisons for....but that's just getting them done one at a time