Densho Digital Archive - Tad Kuniyuki Interview (denshovh-ktad-01-0023)

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TI: So we're, so after Puyallup, you went to Idaho, so Minidoka, Idaho. And I think earlier you mentioned that you went actually with a early group, like a volunteer group. Can you describe what that group was like and who was part of that group?

TK: Gosh, I don't know, there were about maybe fifteen, twenty of us. And I think there were about six girls. They were all volunteers, to go there first to kind of get the thing started for them. So about six or seven girls, I think, the rest, maybe fifteen or so, ten, dozen men. We were the original group and then when we got there, it was all dust, nothing but dust, dust, dust. And we had to, I don't know what we did now, I can't remember. I remember driving a truck there and cleaning out some buildings for the first evacuees to approach, and stringing up a lot of lights. So that's all I can remember, right now.

TI: So in addition to your group, this initial small group, who else was at Minidoka? Were there other workers, or other people doing things when you were there?

TK: There were the Caucasian contractors there, the electricians and stuff, putting in lights and all that, the other things, as far as I know. Then some of the cabins weren't done yet in some areas. They were finishing those up.

TI: And so did you ever interact with the Caucasian workers?

TK: No, we had nothing to do with them.

TI: So you never heard, ever talked with them or anything like that.

TK: No, only Caucasian was the fellow in charge of, I don't know, he was supposed to be in charge of us. He had his family with him and we didn't pay much attention to him. But he told us where to go, where to stay and all that. That's about it.

TI: Then what was it like when the other families, other people started arriving? What did you do then?

TK: Oh, well we, we had to do some clean up for them, to get started. But, gosh, it's kind of hard to remember exactly. Oh, there was so much dust, wind was blowing all the time. As far as I can -- I think we started in September. By October, it started to get pretty cold.