Granada War Relocation Center
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| Granada Relocation Center | |
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| (U.S. National Historic Landmark) | |
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| Nearest city: | 23900 County Road FF, Granada, Colorado |
| Built/Founded: | 1942 |
| Architect: | US Army Corps of Engineers; Lambie, Moss, Litle, and James |
| Designated as NHL: | February 10, 2006[1] |
| Added to NRHP: | May 18, 1994[2] |
| NRHP Reference#: | 94000425 |
| Governing body: | Local |
The Granada War Relocation Center was a Japanese American internment camp located in southeast Colorado about a mile west of the small farming community of Granada, south of US 50. The Center was one of ten that were created by the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941. The camp opened in August 1942 and had a maximum population of 7318 persons.
Nearly all of those interned at the camp came from the West Coast of the U.S., mostly from the Los Angeles area. Each person was only allowed to bring one bag, therefore, many people were forced to sell what they could or give away their possessions before being forced out. This also included pets.
The camp's unofficial name quickly became Camp Amache, named after a Cheyenne Indian chief's daughter, the wife of John Prowers (the county where Camp Amache is located is named after Prowers). This name change was due to a mail mix-up between the town of Granada and the camp.
The Camp Amache residential area is spread across a low hill, which prevented the flooding and mud problems which plagued other internment camps. It was surrounded by barbed-wire fencing, with eight machine-gun towers located all around the camp. However, all eight towers were rarely manned at one time, and the guns were never used. The camp had a police department which was actually worked by Japanese Americans living at the camp. Camp leaders, internees themselves, set up a separate Amache District for Boy Scouts at the camp. Colorado Governor Ralph Lawrence Carr was one of the few to welcome the Japanese to Colorado, going against the current anti-Japanese sentiment of the times.
Today the camp is a lonely, desolate place on the high prairie, covered by scrubby vegetation and small cacti. All but one of the buildings were removed, many having been sold at auction and hauled off. The sole remaining original building is a pumphouse beside the main water tank, both of which are still in use. Cement foundations of most of the buildings remain, and the site is largely undisturbed, though the land was sold at auction (rather than being returned to the original owners). Signs have been posted to show locations of schools, laundries, dining halls, clinics, fire station, etc. The highway signs identify the site only as Camp Amache[1].
In the southwest corner of the camp is a small cemetery and memorial dedicated to the Japanese Americans from there who volunteered to fight in Europe in World War II. Nisei from all the camps were in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the most decorated unit of its size in American military history. A large stone memorial with men's names engraved in it sits in the cemetery in memory of those who died defending the U.S. in the 442nd. The graves at the cemetery are only of children who died while at the camp.
Sources indicate that the high school football team lost one game in three years. One notewothy event was when the Amache football team played the undefeated football team from Holly, Colorado, which is located just {convert|11|mi|km|1}} east of Amache on U.S. 50. This game was unique because Holly actually agreed to come up to the camp and play Amache on their home field. One of the Holly team players was Roy Romer, who went on to become Governor of Colorado. The Amache team won this game by a score of 7-0, the only touchdown coming from a trick play, thus the Amache team can claim to be undefeated on their own field.
Today, the camp is maintained by the Amache Preservation Society. The camp was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 18, 1994, and designated a National Historic Landmark on February 10, 2006.[1][3]
Since 1990, the Amache Preservation Society, a Granada high school group, has worked on preservation of the site and its documents.[3](p.32). As a school project, Granada Undivided High School students have set up a museum for the Granada War Relocation Center.
On December 21, 2006, President George W. Bush signed H.R. 1492 into law guaranteeing $38,000,000 in federal money to restore the Granada relocation center and nine other former Japanese internment camps. "H.R. 1492".
[edit] See also
- Manzanar War Relocation Center California
- Rohwer War Relocation Center Arkansas
- Gila River War Relocation Center Arizona
- Heart Mountain War Relocation Center Wyoming
- Minidoka War Relocation Center Idaho
- Poston War Relocation Center Arizona
- Topaz War Relocation Center Utah
- Tule Lake War Relocation Center California
- War Relocation Authority
[edit] References
- ^ a b Granada Relocation Center. National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved on 2007-10-16.
- ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2007-01-23).
- ^ a b National Historic Landmark Nomination: Granada Relocation Center / Camp Amache / Amache/5PW48 PDF (182 KiB), National Park Service, , 19 and Accompanying photos, exterior and interior, from 19 and 19.PDF (32 KB)
- Harvey, Robert. Amache: The Story of Japanese Internment in Colorado during World War II. Dallas: Taylor Trade Publishing, 2003.
- Johnson, Melyn. "At Home in Amache." Colorado Heritage (1989): 2-10.
[edit] External links
- National Historic Landmark designation announcement
- Granada Japanese Internment Camp
- At Camp Amache
- Granada-Amache Japanese Internment Camp Site
- Amache Revisited in 2004
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