<Begin Segment 13>

TI: Well, well, after a few months, it became clear that people would be leaving Mount Eden.

TA: Yes.

TI: And describe sort of the, the life, or the preparations to leave Mount Eden. What was that like?

TA: It was panic and chaos, because all of a sudden -- I mean, we anticipated because people in San Francisco and other places were being evacuated. So we, we knew it was a matter of time that our turn will come, and, of course, they posted the public notice. Thirty-four was ours and put it up there and that we had be evacuated within a week. And so, "Well, what, what are we gonna do?" So we had to dispose our property, what little property we had, a car and washing machine, things like that, but getting prepared. And, and my father tried to help the others, tried to explain why and tried to explain what's going on. And so he spent a lot of time talking to the others. At the same time, my mother getting prepared, making duffle bags, and making sure that these are the things that we want, and these are the things that we're going to sell. And these, maybe we could store at the Shibatas' because Shibata says, "Oh, you can store it near where ours..." and so that was the activity. And, of course, as far as the Caucasian kids like that, there was no, no interaction because we were just, the community busy doing, getting prepared.

CO: Yeah, for one week. I mean, didn't have much time.

TA: No, one week is a short time. Very short time.

CO: I'd like to ask about your mother's family in Cressey.

TA: Yes.

CO: Cressey is near Merced, or someplace in that area?

TA: Cressey is near Livingston.

CO: Livingston, okay. Now, at that point, they were able to purchase the land in their children's name, who were citizens.

TA: In that, yeah. In my brother's name, yes.

CO: So that they had a acreage.

TA: They had acreage. They had fruit acreage, and so they, they actually, luckily, they let, had a friend take care of it, and luckily he took care of it. So when they came back, they were, they had a crop to sell. So they were very fortunate in that respect.

CO: Yeah, because that's so rare. I hear these stories, but here's one of them where they had a Good Samaritan friend that literally kept the farm going for them.

TA: Kept it, yeah. Kept the farm going. And, of course, they all came back and they had to build a house with a big room for all of the people, all the sons, siblings, because it was a large family. And so, and they, they went to an assembly center. My, my grandmother tried to -- well, not try -- kind of, well, of course, forcibly urge my mother to join. Says, "Why don't you join us, and then we can be together?" And my mother tried to get my father to, to go, but he said, "No," he says, "my place is here with the community." He says, "I want to help them out because," he says, "they're going through a lot of turmoil, a lot of problems." So he didn't do that. And even Shibatas and the Hasegawas and whatnot, they removed, moved to Marysville. They wanted him to go, too, but he said, "No, I'm going to stay here." So he was kind of committed to, to the community. And also to the community of the school.

<End Segment 13> - Copyright © 2004 Densho. All Rights Reserved.