The journey

The journey to temporary "assembly centers" was a difficult and disorienting experience. After gathering at designated locations, Japanese Americans were met by armed soldiers and transported in buses, private cars, and trains to sixteen temporary "assembly centers." When they arrived at their new homes -- often hastily refurbished fairgrounds and racetracks -- they were shocked to see barbed-wire fences, guard towers, and searchlights.

World War II (240)
Temporary Assembly Centers (234)
The journey (122)

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122 items

img Japanese American family preparing for the journey to the Pomona Assembly Center (ddr-densho-242-4)

Caption by Ike Hatchimonji: "May 1942 - El Monte, California - In front of family store. Hatchimonji family about to leave for the Pomona Assembly Center then the WRA camp at Heart Mountain, Wyoming. L-R: Tasuke Ike, Megumi Mike, Kumezo father, Nobue mother, and daughter Gloria, wearing the family ID tags."

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-242-4/

img "Family leaving for the Pomona Assembly Center" (ddr-densho-242-14)

Caption by Ike Hatchimonji: "May 1942, Covina, CA. Family leaving for the Pomona Assembly Center."

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-242-14/

img Two teen boys (ddr-densho-242-9)

Caption by Ike Hatchimonji: "Ike and Mike on day of departure to a camp May 1942."

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-242-9/

img New arrivals in Tanforan (ddr-densho-162-53)

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-162-53/

img Mass removal (ddr-densho-162-51)

These buses are en route to the Tanforan Assembly Center, California.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-162-51/

doc University of California, evacuation and settlement study: case history I (ddr-csujad-26-26)

Correspondence regarding a profile of incarceree Harry Osaka written by Robert Spencer. The profile was taken during a trip to Fresno for Harry's mother's funeral with Spencer as the escort and includes Harry's life and family story, farm business before incarceration, religious practices, holiday practices, description of funeral. Profile included as part of the Japanese American …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-26-26/

doc Newspaper clipping "Tanforan, 1942" (ddr-janm-4-42)

Newspaper clipping titled "Tanforan, 1942". The article was written by Soji Kashiwagi on December 17, 1984.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-janm-4-42/

doc Postcard to Molly Wilson from Haruko Nagahiro (May 20, 1942) (ddr-janm-1-53)

Postcard to Molly Wilson from Haruko Nagahiro (May 20, 1942). It is postmarked May 20, 1942 from the Pomona Assembly Center in Pomona, California.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-janm-1-53/

doc Letter to Molly Wilson from Chiyeko Akahoshi (May 9, 1942) (ddr-janm-1-101)

Handwritten letter to Molly Wilson from Chiyeko Akahoshi (May 9, 1942) from the Owens Valley Assembly Center in Manzanar, California.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-janm-1-101/

doc Letter to Molly Wilson from Sandie Saito (May 12, 1942) (ddr-janm-1-9)

Handwritten letter to Molly Wilson from Sandie Saito (May 12, 1942) from the Santa Anita Assembly Center in Arcadia, California. Letter has return address in the upper left hand corner but not stamped nor postmarked.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-janm-1-9/

doc Letter to Molly Wilson from Chiyeko Akahoshi (April 28, 1942) (ddr-janm-1-100)

Handwritten letter to Molly Wilson from Chiyeko Akahoshi (April 28, 1942) from the Owens Valley Assembly Center in Manzanar, California.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-janm-1-100/

doc Letter to Kinuta Uno at Fort Missoula (ddr-densho-324-17)

Correspondence from Kinuta Uno's wife and daughter discussing life at Pinedale Assembly Center.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-324-17/

doc Postcard send to Kinuta Uno at Fort Missoula (ddr-densho-324-26)

Correspondence from Kinuta Uno's daughter about their arrival at Pinedale Assembly Center.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-324-26/

img Mass removal (ddr-densho-36-16)

Sumiko Furuta of Bainbridge Island, Washington, on a special ferry to Seattle. From Seattle, she will board a train headed for Manzanar Assembly Center, California.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-36-16/

img Mass removal (ddr-densho-36-17)

Ritsuko Terayama (left) and Sumiko Furuta as they leave the island on a ferryboat. (Lucille Galbraith, Bainbridge Island Japanese American Community (BIJAC). On March 30, 1942, Japanese Americans from Bainbridge Island became one of the first groups to be excluded, presumably because of their proximity to the Puget Sound Navy Yard (Terminal Island, near Los Angeles, …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-36-17/

img Japanese Americans boarding train for Manzanar, California (ddr-densho-36-15)

Japanese Americans from Bainbridge Island, Washington are being transported to the Manzanar Assembly Center, California.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-36-15/

img En route to Manzanar Assembly Center (ddr-densho-36-8)

Japanese Americans from Bainbridge Island, Washington are being transported to the Manzanar Assembly Center, California. Manzanar Assembly Center became a WRA incarceration camp on June 1, 1942.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-36-8/

doc Drawing of the laundry buildings at Tanforan Assembly Center (ddr-densho-392-10)

Caption written by Kenneth Iyeki: "These are the laundry buildings from which all the internees left for Topaz, Utah. As the time for the trip to Utah neared, fences were put up around these three makeshift structures and people were leaving the camp every day like herds of cattle."

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-392-10/

doc Instructions to all persons of Japanese ancestry (ddr-densho-381-1)

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-381-1/

doc Administrative Notice No. 27 Transfer to Amache (ddr-densho-356-802)

Administrative Notice No. 27 from Santa Anita Assembly Center contains information regarding personal belongings in storage outside of the camp remaining their until settled at Amache at which point individuals my request their items be shipped to camp at the WRA's expense. It also provides instructions regarding train travel to Amache including water conservation, cleanliness, and …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-356-802/

doc Two letters to Yuri from Min Yonekura (ddr-densho-356-285)

Two letters to Yuriko Domoto Tsukada from Minoru "Min" Yonekura. Both letters stored in one envelope, unclear if they were mailed together or separately. Letter 5/11: describes forced removal, details items needed in assembly center to make barracks feel homey, food quality in the assembly center and general life there. Letter 2: discusses plans to move …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-356-285/

doc Evacuee Information Release No. 2 Baggage Instructions (ddr-densho-356-803)

Evacuee Information Release No. 2 from Santa Anita Assembly Center informs internees about the types of baggage allowed and how each type will be transported.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-356-803/

doc Letter from Emmy Sumida Ito to Chimata Sumida (ddr-densho-379-23)

Letter written four weeks after she was sent to Santa Anita Assembly Center. She and her husband Ken Ito lived in a 20' x 8' room with 3 windows. The rest of the Sumida family arrived one week later, and she visits them almost every day.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-379-23/

doc Timeline of camp relocation (ddr-densho-493-23)

Memo book open to page with handwritten timeline of camp relocation, with dates, durations, origins and destinations of each journey. "May 22, 1942 - 5 p.m. / Auburn - Pinedale / May 24 - 2 nites on train / c-i- / July 16, 1942 - 8 a.m. / Pinedale - Tule Lake / July 17 - …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-493-23/

doc Kaneji Domoto Diary, 1942 (ddr-densho-329-950)

Kaneji's diary from March 6, 1942 - October 7, 1942, spanning the Domoto family's time from being at home in California to about a month after arrival at Amache. Early pages of the diary resemble a notebook loosely structured by date and containing a mixture of daily activities, accounting, notes from work at the nursery, and, …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-329-950/