Manzanar War Relocation Center

Off US 395, 5 miles south of Independence, California
~284 miles from Las Vegas

A black spot in America's history, Manzanar was the result of the signature of Franklin Delano Roosevelt on Executive Order 9066 on was February 19, 1942. By June 1, 1942, the War Relocation Authority took control of a hastily built Manzanar and 11,061 resident aliens and U.S. citizens (all of Japanese descent) were processed and incarcerated behind strands of barbed wire and eight guard posts.

Covering only one square mile, 36 blocks of wooden barracks would be home for some of the residents until September 1945.   The annual Manzanar Pilgrimage is held on the last Saturday in April. It has been held for the last thirty years and former residents, descendants and others gather to rededicate the cemetery with Buddhist and Christian ceremonies.   (Each year many people make paper cranes and leave them at the obelisk below).

The forced evacuees strived to build a community, painting the barracks, planting fruit trees and gardens and even digging small ponds in the hope of capturing some semblance of the pre-attack normalcy. At 4,000 feet, the harsh dry desert was worlds away from their homes along the west coast. Schools were set up and two classes of students graduated high school during Manzanar's existence. Catholic, Protestant and Buddhist Houses of Worship welcomed believers.

Despite being uprooted from their homes and lives, the residents didn't become bitter or turn on their country. Many worked within the barbed wire at Manzanar's camouflage netting factory supporting the war effort. Others joined the service, fighting with honor and bravery in the European theater. The 100thBN/442nd Regimental Combat Team made up mostly of Japanese Americans was one of the most decorated. Sadao Munenori's family was held in Manzanar. This 19 year old boy was cited for bravery in Italy and received the Medal of Honor, posthumously. Just one of the many stories about Manzanar.