Former Manzanar Relocation Center Becomes National Historic Site
On this day, Manzanar, one of the Relocation Centers in the infamous evacuation and internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, was designated a National Historic Site, managed by the National Park Service.
Manzanar was one of ten Relocation Centers in the infamous evacuation and detention program authorized by President Roosevelt on February 19, 1942.. It held just over 10,000 detainees.
Two other Relocation Centers also have national landmark status: Tule Lake (designated on February 17, 2006) and Heart Mountain (designated on September 20, 2006).
The Manzanar Committee organizes an annual pilgrimage to the site:
http://www.manzanarcommittee.org/The_Manzanar_Committee/Home.htmlVisit the Manzanar National Historic Site:
http://www.nps.gov/manz/index.htmRead: Greg Robinson, By Order of the President: FDR and the Internment of Japanese Americans (2001)
View Dorothea Lange’s Internment Camp Photographs:
http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist/lange.html