Manzanar Japanese Relocation Camp

 I recently visited the Manzanar Japanese Relocation Camp on the

eastern side of the Sierra Nevada in Owens Valley.

While I knew a little bit about it I have to say it was an eye opening experience. The wind

blowing off of the mountains added to what life must have been like. 

Imagine going to your new home and seeing this. Eight guard towers

and five line barbed wire.

I'll bet it felt more like this.

There were 11,700 people detained here from 3/21/1942 (just 3 months after Pearl Harbor)

in 36 Blocks with 14 Barracks each. The buildings had tar paper for siding with little regard

for personal space or ethnic subtleties. 

The people where allowed only to take what they could carry.

 Many lost their homes, farms, wealth and health

Don't forget these were individuals

Their lifestyle, food and language were different than those who

 planned and incarcerated them.

Communal dining and barracks were the standard. Later if you had a family

of four or more you were allowed more privacy, three or less....communal. 

Privacy was of very little consideration. This is the women's bathroom, notice the 

four foot wall behind the toilets. Communal showers are nearby.

80% of the food was grown, raised produced by the camp's occupants. Some was

even sold locally, some sent to other camps.

I just liked the lines.

There was some semblance of a normal life. 

This obelisk was built in 1943by catholic stonemason Ryozo Kado with the help

of men from Block 9 and the Young Men's Buddhist Association.

Today there is an annual pilgrimage.

Go, See, Enjoy, Learn, Stay Safe and Photograph.

Dave