Bain Collection ddr-densho-2
68 items
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Family and friend at the beach (ddr-densho-2-31)
Left to right: Patsy Yorita, Peggie Yorita, and Emily Nishimura holding Jimmie Yorita at Des Moines beach.
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Issei couple holding fish (ddr-densho-2-32)
Kumataro (left) and Kadju Nishimura holding perch and rock cod caught near the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Washington.
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Tule Lake concentration camp (ddr-densho-2-33)
View of the Tule Lake concentration camp barracks. A rock formation that the inmates called "Castle Rock" can be seen in the background. After obtaining permission to go through the gates, people could climb to the top of the formation.
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Minidoka camp queen and her court (ddr-densho-2-34)
Minidoka concentration camp queen and her court. Left to right: Unidentified, Aiko Heyamoto, Grace Kawata, unidentified, and Ann Nakamura.
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Memorial service honoring fallen Nisei soldiers (ddr-densho-2-35)
This memorial service was held for Japanese American soldiers killed during World War II. The Minidoka concentration camp had the highest number of Nisei volunteering for military service.
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Minidoka Matinee Orchestra (ddr-densho-2-36)
Left to right: Joe Owaki (drums), Hiro Nishimoto (MC), Dorrie Abe (piano), Ted Shimano (orchestra conductor), Amy Iguchi (clarinet), Yosh Ogata (saxophone), George Kaku (violin), and Sally Makishima (violin). The residents of the Minidoka concentration camp formed numerous musical ensembles to pass the time. Orchestras, bands, and choirs frequently staged performances for entertainment.
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Issei couple in front of their postwar home (ddr-densho-2-37)
Kadju Nishimura (left) and her husband, Kumataro, in front of their housing project home in Seattle, Washington. Kadju Nishimura (1883-1967) and her husband, Kumataro (1876-1958), lived in a house that was part of the White Center Housing Project in West Seattle. According to their daughter, the project was home for a number of Issei who resettled …
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Japanese Americans in front of canteen (ddr-densho-2-38)
Peggie Yorita and her friend, Fumie Hariguchi, stand in front of Canteen 30.
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Block 41 Christmas display (ddr-densho-2-39)
This Block 41 Christmas display, made by Japanese Americans from scrap materials, won third prize during a competition in 1944.
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Japanese American in a camp truck (ddr-densho-2-43)
Peggie Yorita sits in a truck used at the Minidoka concentration camp. Peggie Bain believes that the trucks and farming equipment shown in this photo were being readied for sale since the camp was about to close.
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Japanese Americans digging for shells (ddr-densho-2-47)
These individuals are digging for shells to make jewelry, which was a popular pastime for many Japanese Americans in camp. Left to right: Kumataro Nishimura, Kadju Nishimura, Jimmie Yorita, Neal Frost (son of one of the teachers at Tule Lake), and Patsy Yorita. Tule Lake was drained in the early 1900s. The camp was located on …
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Japanese Americans digging for shells (ddr-densho-2-48)
Left to right: Peggie Yorita, Margaret Frost (wife of one of the camp's teachers), Kumataro Nishimura, and his wife, Kadju, dig and sift for shells at the Tule Lake concentration camp. Kumataro made the sieve by hand from scrap lumber and wire from a door screen. The shells were bleached and used for jewelry-making, which was …
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Jewelry made in camp (ddr-densho-2-49)
This corsage pin was made by Peggie Yorita, a Japanese American at the Tule Lake concentration camp. The flowers and leaves are composed of shells found at the camp. Tule Lake was drained in the early 1900s. The camp was located on the old lake bed, where people found shells for making jewelry to sell to …
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Japanese Americans preparing shells for jewelry making (ddr-densho-2-50)
Kumataro (left) and Kadju Nishimura measure and separate shells to be used in jewelry-making. The Nishimuras woke up at the crack of dawn and dug waist-deep holes to find the shells. The shells were then bleached white and later painted. Tule Lake was drained in the early 1900s. The camp was located on the old lake …
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Shells used for jewelry making (ddr-densho-2-51)
Japanese Americans at the Tule Lake concentration camp enjoyed making jewelry from shells, such as the ones shown here, which were found within the confines of the camp. These shells have not yet been bleached. Tule Lake was drained in the early 1900s. The camp was located on the old lake bed, where people found shells …
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Mother and son in a camp graveyard (ddr-densho-2-52)
This photo was taken at the Minidoka concentration camp's graveyard. The rocks in the background were probably used for grave markers. The tombstone shown here was more elaborate than most. This graveyard no longer exists. When the camps were closed, Japanese Americans often exhumed the remains of family members for reburial back home.