<Begin Segment 19>

TI: So while you were doing this, so you're spending lots of time, what's your vision? I mean, what, what facility or presence do you see in the future?

JY: Well, my vision, that's, one of the park ranger asked me, says, "Oh, it's a pipe dream, but it'll never happen." Anyway, "Tell me about it." I said, "Oh, I personally would like to see an interpretive center built up at Tule Lake, and build a hotel up there on top of the hill." And we have some tremendous amount of natural resource, we've got the lava beds, we have the wildlife preserve, we have Captain Jack's Stronghold, we have Tule Lake camp site, and we have Crater Lake. We have all these beautiful areas there, they could start, make the home here, and we'd have buses going out all, every day to all these sites and have five points of interest that they can go around and see and learn of all the different things and the history of the area. That's my pipe dream which will never happen, but to get an interpretive center, it'd be real nice. But the traffic's not there like Manzanar. We don't have the traffic. So how much could we do? So I'm collecting stuff gradually, we sent a truckload up there already, right now, of artifacts, stuff.

TI: And if you had an interpretive center at Tule Lake, where would you site it or where would you locate that interpretive center?

JY: I would like to put it, you know the high point of Tule Lake camp site, you know where the cemetery, just beyond the cemetery is a high spot there. I'd like to be on top of there so they can see the whole camp site from there. That's the most visual part that you could see how big the camp was at one time. That's, that's where I'd like to put it, right there. Buy that piece of land and put it -- right now we're down by the jail, that's the only place that we have, the federal government owns, on top of the hill there.

TI: And you mentioned the jail, so that's one of the last kind of standing structures. In the future, what would you like to happen to that?

JY: We'd like to preserve it and have it part of the bus tour around the camp site, the jail, stockade, and part of the army... if we can restore part of the army camp there, 'cause most of 'em, about sixty-five percent of the barracks are still standing there. Then we had the big potato shed down below there, packing house is still there. So the different things are still around that physically you could see. And then the first rec. hall for the staff, rec. hall is still standing there about ready to fall down. That's up for sale right now. Hopefully they can buy that, I don't know whether they're gonna do that now. But, so there's a nice tour that we can make out of the whole thing, either bus or... bus drive is beautiful. And go in the foot of Castle Rock.

TI: But what's interesting is you're thinking bigger than just the Tule Lake camp, you're thinking of those other four attractions and really trying to...

JY: Yeah. See, one day they go lava beds, see the lava beds, go see the lava beds there. One day they can go to wildlife, see all the wildlife that's out there, and then Captain Jack, how he struggled to hold the Indians away, then go to Crater Lake, right? I mean, you know, all within several hours. Crater Lake would be the furthest one away, but that's, one day trip you can make it out and back.

TI: So let's go to the future, say 2042. So it's the 100th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066, and they have a facility, interpretive center there. What should the key message be when a boy or girl walks through there on the 100th anniversary? What kind of messages should they understand?

JY: I think it'd be the history of the Great American Story of all the trials and tribulation of all the nationalities that has come to the United States, every one of 'em. I don't care if they're Irish, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, they all struggled once they came here, and all the struggles, and we're still here together. And I think we should be joyous that we came this far and still, yes, we had a civil war, but that was another thing, but we're really able to talk to each other. And look at the Congress, look at how, today, the ways the cross section has changed so much. Look at the nationality that's in the, look at the President today, Obama, never thought there would be a black man being President in my lifetime. But here, 2010 you have... and so far, I think things has changed, and I think we should be proud that we came this far that we can still, sure, we don't get along well in certain areas, but that's only human being. If we get on well, something's wrong. We have clashes, we can't help it. I think it's an American story that we just keep on pushing. Not to say "them Japs" or "them Italians," whatever it is, it's the American story. Sure, it happened to the Japanese, it was a bad experience, yes. But it's an American story, that's the way I look at it. Don't look at it that the government did wrong to us. Things that happened, like the slavery happened, right? And Civil War happens, they kill their own buddies. But that's the American story.

TI: So through the Japanese American experience, make it an American story.

JY: Yeah.

<End Segment 19> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.