Relocation Centers

Return to Japanese Internment in WWII = Relocation Centers = Run by the War Relocation Authority (WRA)

Purpose
These camps were the permanent counterparts to the assembly centers and opened at varying times throughout the year.

Story, Kenneth, and William D. Baker. "The War Relocation Camps of World War II--Reading 3." U.S. National Park Service - Experience Your America. 1996. Web. 25 Oct. 2010. .

Site Selection
http://www.nps.gov/manz/historyculture/images/WarRelocationMap.jpg

photo courtesy of bigorangelmarks.blogspot.com

In choosing the locations of the 10 long-term camps, the most important thing was that the chosen site be inland of the restricted zone and have land that is agriculturally productive along with easy access to water. Like the assembly centers, these camps were meant to be self contained towns, however, unlike the assembly centers they were initially planned to have offices, schools, hospitals, and post offices in addition to the residential halls.

Story, Kenneth, and William D. Baker. "The War Relocation Camps of World War II--Reading 3." U.S. National Park Service - Experience Your America. 1996. Web. 25 Oct. 2010. .

Population
Centers and Peak Population


 * Gila River, Arizona: 13,48
 * Granada, Colorado: 7,318
 * Heart Mountain, Wyoming: 10,767
 * Jerome, Arkansas: 8,497
 * Manzanar, California: 10,046
 * Minidoka, Idaho: 9,397
 * Poston, Arizona: 17,814
 * Rohwer, Arkansas: 8, 475
 * Topaz, Utah: 8,130
 * Tule Lake, California: 18,789

"Japanese-American Internment Camps." Bookmice.net Index. Web. 25 Oct. 2010. .

Conditions
http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/feature/asia/2006/granada4.jpg

photo courtesy of nps.gov

Every camp was a little different, however, generally the conditions were better than those found in the assembly camps but obviously not as good as those of their homes prior to their forced removal. When the evacuees arrived they were greeted with the site of identical rows of barracks situated in either deserts or swamps. The housing itself was constructed of tar paper covered over a simple wooden frame without any plumbing or cooking facilities. These camps were also surrounded by barbed wire fences and had separate buildings for toilets and dining. Like in the assembly centers, privacy was a large concern in that the walls did not reach the ceilings and toilets were not partitioned. Perhaps one of the biggest challenges in adjusting to these camps was the climate. With all of the construction there was dust everywhere and either extreme heat or in the case of Wyoming winter temperatures reached below zero Fahrenheit which few were prepared to handle.

However, because these were more long term facilities, by the end of the first year, evacuees had made their "apartments" much more homey. In attempting to take some control over their situation they planted trees, flowers, vegetables, vines, and gourds.

"The War Relocation Camps of World War II--Reading 3." U.S. National Park Service - Experience Your America. Web. 25 Oct. 2010. .

A Look Inside: Camp Controversies
It is not surprising that there was incredible amount of tension within the camps and incidents occurred. The most serious incident in the camps erupted at Manzanar in December of 1942 between inmate supporters and opponents of the WRA. The confrontation was ended when the military police used tear gas to break up the crowd and eventually firing- killing one and wounding ten other of which one did not survive.

In addition to public outbreaks in Manzanar, many evacuees found ways to express their resentment secretly. In the wet concrete of a settling basin they were building they would scratch inscriptions that read "Beat Great Britian and the USA" or "Banzai, the Great Japanese Empire, Manzanar Black Dragon Group headquarters." These writings were not visible when the settling basin was in use as it was under water; and as added secrecy the messages were written in Japanese.

In contrast, not all inmates became bitter, but some tried to reaffirm their loyalty to the United states. In 1943 the U.S. announced it would accept volunteers for the army and many man enlisted while many women joined the Women's Army Corps and the Red Cross.

2, By June. "The War Relocation Camps of World War II--Reading 3." U.S. National Park Service - Experience Your America. Web. 25 Oct. 2010. .