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 (240)
Concentration camps (1640)
Living conditions (1841)

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1841 items

img Photograph of Echo Goto leaning on a car at Manzanar (ddr-csujad-47-263)

Photograph of Echo Goto leaning on car at Manzanar incarceration camp. The woman is wearing a skirt suit and white gloves. Behind the car a utility pole is visible. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: ecm_merritt_0411

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-47-263/

img Photograph of a group of people holding snow balls on the side of a mountain with a snowman (ddr-csujad-47-296)

Photograph of a group of people holding snow balls on the side of a mountain with a snowman near the Manzanar incarceration camp. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: ecm_merritt_0445

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-47-296/

img Photograph of the rock pond at block 24 between barracks 5 and 6 (ddr-csujad-47-2)

Photograph of rock pond, block 24, between barracks 5 and 6, circa 1940s, "a view of the garden strip arranged by William Katsuki, former landscape gardener from Southern California, alongside his home in the barracks at this War Relocation Authority center for evacuees of Japanese ancestry." See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-47-2/

img Photograph of Lucy Adams and Dagmar Quarnstrom sitting on the grass in front of staff housing at Manzanar (ddr-csujad-47-171)

Photograph of Lucy Adams and Dagmar Quarnstrom sitting on the grass in front of staff housing at Manzanar incarceration camp. Lucy is out of focus. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: ecm_merritt_0297

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-47-171/

img Photograph of Anita Nicolaus at Manzanar (ddr-csujad-47-179)

Photograph of Anita Nicolaus standing in snow in front of two administrative buildings at Manzanar incarceration camp. She is wearing a heavy coat and holding a purse. Two cars can be seen in the background, behind are the snow-covered Sierra Nevada. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: ecm_merritt_0305

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-47-179/

img Photograph of barracks at Manzanar (ddr-csujad-47-338)

Photograph of several barracks and the cleared ground in front of them at Manzanar incarceration camp. Snow covered mountains can be seen in the background. A bare tree is visible in the foreground. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: ecm_merritt_0497

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-47-338/

img Photograph of mobile structures and trailers (ddr-csujad-47-331)

Photograph of a temporary structure and a large trailer in front of barracks at Manzanar incarceration camp. Two men are walking between the structures. In the foreground there is a clothes pole. The photograph is slightly out of focus. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: ecm_merritt_0490

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-47-331/

img Photograph of snow-covered Manzanar street with barracks on both sides (ddr-csujad-47-53)

Photograph of snow-covered Manzanar street with barracks on both sides after the storm has passed. The snow-covered Mount Williamson can be seen in the background with all of the camp covered in snow as well. Tracks from vehicles can be seen in the snow, and a few people can be seen walking in the distance. See …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-47-53/

img Photograph of Melva and Aksel G. Nielsen in front of staff housing (ddr-csujad-47-166)

Photograph of Melva and Aksel G. Nielsen in front of staff housing at the Manzananr Incarceration Camp. They are leaning against the fence of an outdoor patio area. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: ecm_merritt_0292

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-47-166/

img Photograph of a group of people sitting on rocks in the Sierra Nevada (ddr-csujad-47-297)

Photograph of a group of people sitting on rocks in the Sierra Nevada near the Manzanar incarceration camp. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: ecm_merritt_0446

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-47-297/

img Photograph of an elderly man posing next to a car near the Manzanar hospital (ddr-csujad-47-259)

Photograph of a man standing next a car while resting his hand on it at Manzanar incarceration camp. Behind him the hospital garden and building are visible. The car is a WRA vehicle with license plate, "US WRA M123." See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: ecm_merritt_0407

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-47-259/

img Photograph of snow falling at Manzanar (ddr-csujad-47-157)

Photograph of staff quarters and administrative buildings at Manzanar incarceration camp during a snow storm on Sunday, February 20, 1944. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: ecm_merritt_0273

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-47-157/

img Photograph of Manzanar staff housing (ddr-csujad-47-341)

Photograph of staff housing at Manzanar incarceration camp. Pete Merrit can be seen entering the second apartment from the right. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: ecm_merritt_0500

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-47-341/

img Photograph of a group of people holding snow balls on the side of a mountain with a snowman (ddr-csujad-47-295)

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-47-295/

img Photograph of Manzanar staff housing (ddr-csujad-47-345)

Photograph of staff housing at Manzanar incarceration camp. A grape trellis is attached to the house as is a lattice-covered seating area. Several saplings are visible in the lawn. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: ecm_merritt_0505

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-47-345/

img Photograph of Cow Creek Camp in Death Valley (ddr-csujad-47-106)

Photograph of Cow Creek Camp in Death Valley National Park. Incarcerees were transferred to the former Civilian Conservation Camp after the Manzanar Riot for their own protection. Several army trucks can be seen parked in front of one of the buildings and a line of laundry in the lower right corner. See this object in the …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-47-106/

img Photograph of Cow Creek Camp in Death Valley (ddr-csujad-47-348)

Photograph of Cow Creek Camp in Death Valley National Park. Incarcerees were transferred to the former Civilian Conservation Camp after the Manzanar Riot for their own protection. The photograph is taken from the east looking west toward the Panamint range. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: ecm_merritt_1191

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-47-348/

img Photograph of three boys, two are on a tricycle, the other is holding a stick (ddr-csujad-47-50)

Photograph of three boys, two are on a tricycle, the other is holding a stick while sitting on the back wheel. Behind them is a basketball hoop and several barracks. The Sierra Nevada is in the background. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: ecm_merritt_0084

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-47-50/

img Photograph of a woman on skies at Manzanar (ddr-csujad-47-174)

Photograph of a woman on skies, holding ski poles, at Manzanar incarceration camp. Behind her are three people playing in the snow. Several cars and administrative buildings are visible in the background. The ground is snow-covered. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: ecm_merritt_0300

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-47-174/

img Building every half hour (ddr-csujad-47-22)

Photograph of three men constructing the walls of a barracks. A sign in front reads: "BLK 1, BLDG 2." A truck is parked in the background, behind are the Alabama Hills and the Sierra Nevada. Caption reads: A Building Every Half Hour. Title from caption, which was taken from the original photo album. See this object …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-47-22/

img Photograph of Jone Ingalls standing in a barracks doorway (ddr-csujad-47-175)

Jone Ingalls standing in doorway of Block 7 Building 3 Apartment 4 with a broom in hand at Manzanar incarceration camp. A sign to the left reads, "High Voltage, (exploded)." A bike is in the lower right corner. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: ecm_merritt_0301

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-47-175/

img Photograph of wedding cake at Manzanar incarceration camp (ddr-csujad-47-353)

Photograph of a three-tier wedding cake with a figurine on top, possibly in Manzanar staff housing. A table is visible in the background with a clock and several photographs on it. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: ecm_merritt_3500

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-47-353/

img Photograph of a barracks at Manzanar with melting snow on the ground (ddr-csujad-47-335)

Photograph of the gardens and barracks at Manzanar incarceration camp with melting snow on the ground. The snow-covered Inyo mountains are visible in the background. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: ecm_merritt_0494

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-47-335/

img Photograph of Manzanar staff housing with a rock fence and a car in front (ddr-csujad-47-352)

Photograph of staff housing at Manzanar incarceration camp. A stone fence with a wooden gate surrounds the house. In the lower right corner is a car with license plate, "84Z272." In the background are the Sierra Nevada mountains. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: ecm_merritt_2500

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-47-352/

img Photograph of Martha Shoaf in front of staff housing at Manzanar (ddr-csujad-47-178)

Photograph of Martha Shoaf in front of staff housing at Manzanar incarceration camp. She is standing on front step next to a door. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: ecm_merritt_0304

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-47-178/