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 (231)
Concentration camps (1434)
Living conditions (1751)

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1751 items

img [Picnic] (ddr-csujad-56-227)

Masaji and two others eat a picnic lunch by the Arkansas River near Camp Amache. Page 13 of Kawase Family Photo Album, Book Two. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-03-036

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-56-227/

img Hold your breath! (ddr-csujad-56-139)

Photo of x-ray technician and x-ray machine. Photo provided by Tak Kameoka. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-02-006

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-56-139/

doc Letter from Lea Perry to Kazuo Ito, December 30, 1951 (ddr-csujad-56-130)

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: nbea08-01-128

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-56-130/

img [Picnic meal] (ddr-csujad-56-237)

A group of Japanese American incarcerees including Haruo, Sadayo, and Taneko get food from a small pit in the sand by the Arkansas River. Page 23 of Kawase Family Photo Album, Book Two. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-03-046

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-56-237/

img [Picnic] (ddr-csujad-56-234)

Tsuyako, Cowl, Tamaki, and other Japanese American women eat a picnic lunch. Page 20 of Kawase Family Photo Album, Book Two. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-03-043

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-56-234/

doc Letter from Kazuo Ito to Lea Perry, November 20, 1942 (ddr-csujad-56-24)

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. Transcript is found in item: ssu_nbea_9022. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-01-022

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-56-24/

img [Incarcerees preparing food] (ddr-csujad-56-134)

Photo of three people preparing food with two others standing next to them. A third young man is exiting the scene. Photo provided by Tak Kameoka. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-02-001

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-56-134/

doc Letter from Kazuo Ito to Lea Perry, March 9, 1943 (ddr-csujad-56-43)

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: nbea08-01-041

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-56-43/

doc Letter probably from Lea Perry to Kazuo Ito, January 4, 1944 (ddr-csujad-56-61)

Letter probably 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: nbea08-01-059

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-56-61/

doc Letter from Lea Perry to Kazuo Ito, February 8, 1943 (ddr-csujad-56-38)

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_9036. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-01-036

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-56-38/

img [Amache in the snow] (ddr-csujad-56-201)

Aerial photo of Camp Amache in the snow. Page 10 of Kawase Family Photo Album, Book One. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-03-010

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-56-201/

img [Bonsai and ikebana] (ddr-csujad-56-161)

Presentation of bonsai trees and ikebana arrangements behind them. Photo provided by Tak Kameoka. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-02-028

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-56-161/

doc Letter from Lea Perry to Kazuo Ito, March 26, 1945 (ddr-csujad-56-107)

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-56-107/

doc Letter from Lea Perry to Kazuo Ito, November 10, 1942 (ddr-csujad-56-23)

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_9021. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-01-021

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-56-23/

img [On the banks of the river] (ddr-csujad-56-147)

Group of incarcerees sitting on the river bank talking to each other. A young girl looks up at the camera. Photo provided by Tak Kameoka. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-02-014

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-56-147/

doc Letter from Kazuo Ito to Lea Perry, May 21, 1945 (ddr-csujad-56-112)

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. Transcript is found in item: ssu_nbea_9110. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-01-110

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-56-112/

img Police Department (ddr-csujad-56-140)

Photo of the police department at camp. Photo provided by Tak Kameoka. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-02-007

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-56-140/

doc Letter from Kazuo Ito to Lea Perry, February 1, 1943 (ddr-csujad-56-37)

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. Transcript is found in item: ssu_nbea_9035. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-01-035

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-56-37/

doc Letter from Lea Perry to Kazuo Ito, January 17, 1943 (ddr-csujad-56-35)

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_9033. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-01-033

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-56-35/

img [Camp crafts] (ddr-csujad-56-162)

Presentation of crafts made at camp ranging from paintings to instruments. Photo provided by Tak Kameoka. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-02-029

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-56-162/

img [Picnic group photo] (ddr-csujad-56-228)

A group of incarcerees eat a picnic lunch by the Arkansas River near Camp Amache. Page 14 of Kawase Family Photo Album, Book Two. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-03-037

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-56-228/

img Amache W.R.A. Hospital (ddr-csujad-56-153)

Hospital at Amache. Photo provided by Tak Kameoka. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-02-020

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-56-153/

doc Letter from Kazuo Ito to Lea Perry, July 23, 1942 (ddr-csujad-56-13)

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: nbea08-01-011

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-56-13/

doc Letter from Lea Perry to Kazuo Ito, March 2, 1943 (ddr-csujad-56-42)

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_9040. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-01-040

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-56-42/

img [Produce display] (ddr-csujad-56-167)

Selection of produce on display with a sign above it saying "Amache Farmers". Photo provided by Tak Kameoka. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nbea08-02-034

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-56-167/