Minidoka National Historic Site

The Minidoka National Historic Site is the former Minidoka War Relocation Center, or Hunt Camp, located in Idaho. During World War II (1939–1945) more than 13,000 Japanese Americans living on the west coast of the United States were forcibly placed here in the interest of national security from 1942 to 1946.

Background

Following the surprise Japanese attack on the US Naval fleet at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared war on Japan. Roosevelt and many others within the government were concerned that some of the Japanese Americans living in the United States would act as spies for Japan. In reality, most of the Japanese Americans were born and raised in the United States and considered themselves as fully American. On February 19, 1942, Roosevelt ordered military exclusion zones to be created on the West Coast in the states of California, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska that would relocate Americans of Japanese descent to various camps. Minidoka was one of the camps that eventually housed about 10,000 citizens.

Although Minidoka is considered to be one of the more well-run camps, it still impacted many people’s freedom and created a difficult life for those sent there. Families were only allowed to bring what few possessions they could fit into suitcases. The area in south central Idaho was bleak and desert-like, often very different from the coastal areas where they lived. For instance, a group of 135 people of mixed Native Alaskan and Japanese ancestry, who traditionally made their living hunting seals and whales in fishing villages, were brought in from Alaska. For them, life at Minidoka was a stark contrast from their home.

Overview

The camp was set up like a town, although surrounded by a five-foot high barbed wire fence. There were schools and recreation areas for children, agricultural and livestock areas, a hospital, shops, and even civic amenities like a library and fire station. Buddhist services were held along with other religious services in places of worship. Adult males, and sometimes even teen boys, were encouraged to work at nearby farms and were allowed to leave the camp to do so, although given much lower pay. Shortages of necessary equipment and supplies from the ongoing war also affected those living there, and outbreaks of disease due to unsanitary and crowded conditions were common.

The camp officially closed on October 23, 1945, after the war ended. The internees were allowed to begin returning to their previous homes starting in January of that year. Many, though, had become accustomed to the life they had built in the camp and feared hostility from the outside world. Jobs and housing were difficult to find, and many Japanese American families struggled economically in the years following World War II. Eventually, many of the buildings in the camp were demolished, and the land was used for agriculture. Minidoka National Historic Site was established as a national monument in 1991 and serves as a memorial to the Japanese Americans that were imprisoned there and in similar camps during World War II.

Since becoming part of the National Park Service, the site has been partially restored. There is an interpretive trail with exhibits that show what everyday life was like in the camp. Visitors can experience the stories of the people who lived there and the lasting effects the camp had on their lives. The exhibits also show how the area was transformed from a desert landscape to a thriving agricultural area by the internees. A baseball field called the “Center Field Project” was also rebuilt to showcase the importance of baseball and softball to the lives of the families who lived in the camp. Visitors can play ball on the newly refurbished field or watch others play. Another important facet of the historic site is a national archive that preserves the records of Japanese Americans who lived there during World War II.

The government intended for the camps to be a peaceful and safe community for Japanese American families. However, the civil freedoms of the internees were taken away when they were forced to relocate to these camps. Many of the internees were given little if any notice to vacate their homes and land. Business owners suffered large financial losses, and even after the war, some people were never able to recover their former property upon returning.

Even though internees were considered to be of Japanese ethnicity by the US government, there were still many cultural and political divisions that plagued Minidoka and similar camps. Some, such as the group from Alaska, did not speak Japanese and had little connection with the culture. Others varied in their social status, or in their opinions of loyalties to the US government and support of the war. As a result, there was disunity among the internees. Some worked to get along well with the government administrators that ran the camp. In fact, Minidoka had the highest rate of US Army volunteers willing to go to war to fight. However, others felt that they should protest the unfair treatment they experienced. Disagreement between immigrants that were born in Japan and first-generation Japanese Americans was also common. In the final two years of the camp, labor unrest, and strikes caused difficult conditions for families.

Despite all of the struggles surrounding internees, many tried to make the best of their situation and maintain a sense of normalcy. Couples still got married and started families. Adults worked at utilizing their skills in the local agricultural industry and worked in shops or provided services within the camp walls. New ways of using local materials were found, even art unique to the local resources was created. Children continued their schooling, graduated from camp schools, and participated in dances and other recreation. Baseball and softball were popular pastimes, and many internees credit these sports with making the time they spent in the camps much more bearable.

Bibliography

Franzen, Josh, and Kelsey Lavelle. “Japanese American Internment in the Minidoka Camp.” Intermountain Histories, 29 May 2019, www.intermountainhistories.org/items/show/91. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.

“Japanese American Incarceration During World War II.” Friends of Minidoka, www.minidoka.org/history-world-war-two-internment. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.

“Japanese Internment Camps.” History.com, 17 Apr. 2024, www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/japanese-american-relocation. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.

“Minidoka.” National Park Service, 28 Sept. 2024, www.nps.gov/miin/index.htm. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.

“Minidoka National Historic Site.” The Conservation Fund, 2022, www.conservationfund.org/projects/minidoka-national-historic-site. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.

“Minidoka National Historic Site.” Friends of Minidoka, www.minidoka.org/minidoka-national-historic-site. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.

Niiya, Brian. “10 Little Known Facts of Life at Minidoka.” Discover Nikkei, 2 Sept. 2019, www.discovernikkei.org/en/journal/2019/9/2/minidoka/. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.

Wakatsuki, Hanako. “Minidoka.” Densho Encyclopedia, 16 Dec. 2021, encyclopedia.densho.org/Minidoka. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.