Living conditions

All of the camps were constructed according to the War Department's specifications, which included barbed-wire fences, guard towers, and armed guards around the perimeter. The camps were organized in "blocks" consisting of twelve to fourteen barracks, a mess hall, communal showers and toilets, laundry facilities, and a recreation hall. Each barracks was divided into four or six rooms with each room housing one family, no matter how large, and there was no running water. The furnishings that Japanese Americans found on their arrival were canvas cots, a potbellied stove, and a single bare light bulb. The thin walls offered little protection from the harsh weather, which ranged from 110 degrees in the summer to 25 degrees below zero on winter nights. The flimsy construction allowed no privacy and made normal family life difficult. Camp inmates improved their own living conditions by creating interior walls and partitions, constructing furniture from scrap lumber, and planting gardens.

World War II (239)
Concentration camps (1640)
Living conditions (1824)

Related articles from the Densho Encyclopedia :
Arts and crafts in camp, Community analysts, Manzanar Children's Village

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1825 items
[Trip to the river] (ddr-csujad-56-144)
img [Trip to the river] (ddr-csujad-56-144)
Wide shot of incarcerees at the river. Photo provided by Tak Kameoka. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-02-011
[Group photo] (ddr-csujad-56-212)
img [Group photo] (ddr-csujad-56-212)
A group of Japanese American incarcerees standing in sun, wearing coats. Same group in 'Group Photo'. Page 21 of Kawase Family Photo Album, Book One. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-03-021
Letter from Lea Perry to Kazuo Ito, November 30, 1942 (ddr-csujad-56-27)
doc Letter from Lea Perry to Kazuo Ito, November 30, 1942 (ddr-csujad-56-27)
Letter from Lea Perry to Kazuo Ito. The original letters are housed with the Sonoma County Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), and were borrowed for digitization courtesy of the JACL, December 2014. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-01-025
Letter from Lea Perry to Kazuo Ito, October 5, 1942 (ddr-csujad-56-18)
doc Letter from Lea Perry to Kazuo Ito, October 5, 1942 (ddr-csujad-56-18)
Letter from Lea Perry to Kazuo Ito. The original letters are housed with the Sonoma County Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), and were borrowed for digitization courtesy of the JACL, December 2014. Transcript is found in item: ssu_nbea_9016. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-01-016
[Cutting the cake] (ddr-csujad-56-211)
img [Cutting the cake] (ddr-csujad-56-211)
A group of incarcerees watch a woman cut a cake. Page 20 of Kawase Family Photo Album, Book One. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-03-020
Letter from Kazuo Ito to Lea Perry, July 5, 1945 (ddr-csujad-56-116)
doc Letter from Kazuo Ito to Lea Perry, July 5, 1945 (ddr-csujad-56-116)
Letter from Kazuo Ito to Lea Perry. The original letters are housed with the Sonoma County Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), and were borrowed for digitization courtesy of the JACL, December 2014. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-01-114
[Picnic by the river] (ddr-csujad-56-235)
img [Picnic by the river] (ddr-csujad-56-235)
Fred, Sadayo, Taneko and other Japanese American incarcerees eat a picnic lunch by the Arkansas River near Camp Amache. Page 21 of Kawase Family Photo Album, Book Two. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-03-044
[Tsurumoto in the garden] (ddr-csujad-56-200)
img [Tsurumoto in the garden] (ddr-csujad-56-200)
Bill Tsurumoto in rock garden near living quarters. Page 9 of Kawase Family Photo Album, Book One. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-03-009
Letter from Kazuo Ito to Lea Perry, October 28, 1942 (ddr-csujad-56-21)
doc Letter from Kazuo Ito to Lea Perry, October 28, 1942 (ddr-csujad-56-21)
Letter from Kazuo Ito to Lea Perry. The original letters are housed with the Sonoma County Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), and were borrowed for digitization courtesy of the JACL, December 2014. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-01-019
[Camp crafts] (ddr-csujad-56-166)
img [Camp crafts] (ddr-csujad-56-166)
Display of crafts made at camp including model ship, flower arrangement, carved hearts, etc. Photo provided by Tak Kameoka. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-02-033
Letter from Frank Ito to Joe and Lea Perry, November 2, 1943 (ddr-csujad-56-133)
doc Letter from Frank Ito to Joe and Lea Perry, November 2, 1943 (ddr-csujad-56-133)
Letter from Frank Ito to Joe and Lea Perry. The original letters are housed with the Sonoma County Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), and were borrowed for digitization courtesy of the JACL, December 2014. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-01-131
Letter from Kazuo Ito to Lea Perry, October 13, 1942 (ddr-csujad-56-19)
doc Letter from Kazuo Ito to Lea Perry, October 13, 1942 (ddr-csujad-56-19)
Letter from Kazuo Ito to Lea Perry. The original letters are housed with the Sonoma County Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), and were borrowed for digitization courtesy of the JACL, December 2014. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-01-017
[Garden close up] (ddr-csujad-56-198)
img [Garden close up] (ddr-csujad-56-198)
Small hut with dolls inside in garden near living quarters. Page 7 of Kawase Family Photo Album, Book One. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-03-007
[Crop land] (ddr-csujad-56-173)
img [Crop land] (ddr-csujad-56-173)
In the foreground, a man of the camp works water through the field with a hoe. In the background, more camp internees work on the crops. Photo provided by Tak Kameoka. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-02-040
Letter from Kazuo Ito to Lea Perry, September 8, 1945 (ddr-csujad-56-124)
doc Letter from Kazuo Ito to Lea Perry, September 8, 1945 (ddr-csujad-56-124)
Letter from Kazuo Ito to Lea Perry. The original letters are housed with the Sonoma County Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), and were borrowed for digitization courtesy of the JACL, December 2014. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-01-122
[Hamamoto in the garden] (ddr-csujad-56-199)
img [Hamamoto in the garden] (ddr-csujad-56-199)
Iwazo Hamamoto in garden outside living quarters, his back to the camera. Page 8 of Kawase Family Photo Album, Book One. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-03-008
[Incarcerees in the field] (ddr-csujad-56-168)
img [Incarcerees in the field] (ddr-csujad-56-168)
Six male incarcerees working in the field, five in the foreground and one in the back. Photo provided by Tak Kameoka. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-02-035
[Picnic by the river] (ddr-csujad-56-230)
img [Picnic by the river] (ddr-csujad-56-230)
Incarcerees and a woman eat a picnic lunch by the Arkansas River near Camp Amache. Page 16 of Kawase Family Photo Album, Book Two. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-03-039
Letter from Frank Ito to Joe and Lea Perry, May 23, 1944 (ddr-csujad-56-81)
doc Letter from Frank Ito to Joe and Lea Perry, May 23, 1944 (ddr-csujad-56-81)
Letter from Frank Ito to Joe and Lea Perry. The original letters are housed with the Sonoma County Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), and were borrowed for digitization courtesy of the JACL, December 2014. Transcript is found in item: ssu_nbea_9079. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-01-079
[Screen printing] (ddr-csujad-56-218)
img [Screen printing] (ddr-csujad-56-218)
Incarcerees Masaji, Mazie and Cowl work on a screen print in the camp printing shop. Page 4 of Kawase Family Photo Album, Book Two. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-03-027
[Soldier] (ddr-csujad-56-150)
img [Soldier] (ddr-csujad-56-150)
Candid portrait of Japanese American soldier sitting in front of window outside. Photo provided by Tak Kameoka. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-02-017
[Portrait of Haruo Kawase] (ddr-csujad-56-192)
img [Portrait of Haruo Kawase] (ddr-csujad-56-192)
Haruo Kawase crouched down near living quarters with an unidentified object in his hand. Page 1 of Kawase Family Photo Album, Book One. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-03-001
[Baseball] (ddr-csujad-56-202)
img [Baseball] (ddr-csujad-56-202)
Incarcerees play baseball at Amache with a large crowd of fellow incarcerees. Page 11 of Kawase Family Photo Album, Book One. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-03-011
[Artistic wonders] (ddr-csujad-56-245)
img [Artistic wonders] (ddr-csujad-56-245)
Young Japanese American man works on papers at a desk. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-03-054
Letter from Kazuo Ito to Lea Perry, November 11, 1944 (ddr-csujad-56-95)
doc Letter from Kazuo Ito to Lea Perry, November 11, 1944 (ddr-csujad-56-95)
Letter from Kazuo Ito to Lea Perry. The original letters are housed with the Sonoma County Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), and were borrowed for digitization courtesy of the JACL, December 2014. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-01-093
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