Something to Remember

There were many camps throughout the West used to house Japanese-American internees during World War II, most of them in extremely isolated areas. The Manzanar internment camp may be the best known--in part because the site was next to a major highway, perhaps because of its proximity to Southern California and because of photographs that Ansel Adams took there while the camp was in operation.

But the casual tourist on U.S. 395 through the Owens Valley easily could pass the site today without knowing it. There is one inconspicuous monument and one remaining building--a gymnasium now is used by the Inyo County road department for storage and as a repair shed. Otherwise the land pretty much has returned to natural desert, although outlines of buildings and roads can be seen from the air. The state of California considered making Manzanar a state park some years back, but dropped the idea for lack of funds.

The National Park Service now is studying Manzanar for possible inclusion in the park system, possibly as part of a national historic park that would incorporate important sites associated with World War II in the Pacific. The study is expected to be completed in the spring.

The land is owned by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and is designated a national historic landmark. Some sort of park development, perhaps with a museum, would help educate new generations of Americans about the shame of the government’s internment of loyal American citizens and recall the bravery and stoicism of those who were interned. Decisions about what sort of development might occur would have to be made carefully and sensitively after consultation with historians, those interned at Manzanar and others.

Sometimes the starkness of the site itself, with its dramatic Sierra Nevada backdrop, seems to be memorial enough. But a carefully and tastefully designed memorial and museum, the sort of thing that the National Park Service can do so well, would seem to be appropriate.