PARTNER

Densho
Visit partner

COLLECTION ID

ddr-densho-316

DESCRIPTION

Acc 1: A family photograph album documenting the Sakahara and Tanaka families' pre-World War II life on Vashon Island and other areas of Washington State. Acc 2: Three photo albums contain photos of the Sakahara and Tanaka families at home in Vashon and Tacoma areas, travels around the Northwest, photos, clippings and correspondence related to the marriage of Yasuo Dan Sakahara and Pauline Tanaka. The Tanakas were farmers on Vashon Island between 1916 and 1940. Hatsuguma Tanaka was buried on Vashon Island in 1940. Hatsuguma's wife Momoye later married Sam Torakichi Migita and moved to Wapato, Washington. Hatsuguma and Momoye's daughter, Pauline Tanaka married Dan Sakahara. The Sakaharas grew loganberries, strawberries, currants, and cherries on 69 acres of Vashon Island farmland which is now part of the Island Center Forest. The Migitas and the Sakaharas were incarcerated at the Tule Lake concentration camp and later at the Heart Mountain concentration camp. The exception was Dan Sakahara who was only incarcerated at Tule Lake. Dan Sakahara was a councilman, block leader, chairman of the Red Cross, treasurer of the PTA, and temporary chairman of the PTA at Tule Lake. He was also president of the Fife Young People's Club, president of the Vashon Japanese American Club, president of the Puyallup Valley JACL for the years of 1937 and 1938 and president of the St. Louis JACL for 1957.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Four photo albums, 14 loose pages from albums, two paintings of Tule Lake Camp, two wedding portraits, portrait of family in Fife

CONTRIBUTOR

Densho

CREATORS

PREFERRED CITATION

Courtesy of Laura Sueoka and David Perley

RIGHTS

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.