<Begin Segment 9>

MN: Now when the government announced that all the West Coast Nikkeis had to go into camp, how did that make you feel?

MU: I don't recall any strong feelings, anger, I don't recall anger. Maybe my thought was more on what are we going to do, what do we have to do, what is going to happen to the ranch. So I think those thoughts to an unsophisticated twelve year old probably came into my mind at that time. I don't have any strong recollections of anger and despair.

MN: What is your memory of how your family prepared to go to camp?

MU: I remember my brother also mentioned to me my mother made duffle bags and she went to, I think, a store, department store in Lincoln, the next town, to pick up the canvas type material. And when I think of it she did of course have a Singer sewing machine, she had sewn before it's like I told you. When I think of it, it must have been quite difficult for her to have to sew a duffle bag material canvas probably not real thick canvas but that type of a thick material and she had made those for us. As to how many she made for us I don't remember but we were supposed to put in there what we wanted to take. And for me it would have been some little toys, knick knack type of thing that I was attached to. What they were I don't quite remember.

MN: Now while your family were in camp, who looked after your home and the ranch?

MU: We had a family friend, their last name was Mancebo, my brother's good friend, he had a couple of sisters and a mother. My brother's good friend had quite a bad limp, I think he had an accident where he hurt his leg and so he was not called into the service. In those days they were calling everyone into the service and so I think he received a classification where he was not able to enter the service. And so my mother and my brother asked them if they would take care of a ranch. Where they lived, what property they had on their own, I don't know. Being the last in the family I was not into these planning stages and I didn't ask questions. But they moved into our home and continued the production of the fruits because when we left in July there would be some more fruit to be picked and packed and sent to the packing shed to be sent out east. And the family had taken care of that for us so we were very fortunate. So we didn't have to really move and store many of our things away. The personal things we did I'm sure in the garage or some storage area so that they could move their belongings into the house.

MN: Did you say your family went into camp in July?

MU: That was the time when we were put into camp.

MN: Do you know from where you departed to camp?

MU: I don't quite remember where we went but when I was talking to our friend who lives in Lincoln, he said Lincoln town, I don't remember where we went but he had and he's several years older than I am. And I had presumed that was where we had to gather in the town of Lincoln which is next to Newcastle. Our ranch was between the two country towns of Newcastle and Lincoln and so that's where we departed from on a train, not on a bus. The train because the train comes into the town of Lincoln.

MN: Do you know how you got to Lincoln town?

MU: As to who took us there how I don't remember but I'm presuming it must have been the Mancebo family and maybe other people because you would need more than one vehicle. I don't remember being on a truck but I don't recall any of that. I just recall being on the train and when we had gone through a tunnel, after we came out of the tunnel we would sort of be smeared, had black from the smoke and it was an old coach I guess. I used to call it probably a freight train, maybe not quite a freight train, there were places for us to sit. It must have been an old coach that was not being used anymore but I remember laughing at each other, the blinds were down, the windows were closed and we'd look at each other and say, "Oh, you look funny, you got black smoke." [Laughs] That's about all I remember as to the transportation of our family from the town of Lincoln to Tule Lake.

MN: So your family went straight to Tule Lake, no assembly center?

MU: No, we who lived on that particular side of the county road went directly to Tule Lake.

MN: Do you remember how long the train ride to Tule Lake was?

MU: No, I do remember it being a long ride but maybe because I'm not used to being on a train, not being able to judge. So it seemed like quite a long time. As to what meals we ate on the train I don't remember.

MN: Was this your first train ride?

MU: It probably was.

MN: And if this was your first train ride, was it something that was more exciting as a child? Was it more like an adventure or do you remember how you felt being on this train?

MU: I don't remember and I don't even remember thinking how long are we going to be on the train, or even where are we going. If they said Tule Lake I would not know what Tule Lake looked like, where it is, I don't think any of us knew. And as to how far, I didn't ask those questions. My siblings may have asked questions and they may have known the answer but I didn't ask and they didn't tell me.

MN: Now how old were you when you entered Tule Lake?

MU: Thirteen, my birthday's in May.

MN: Now what was your first impression of Tule Lake?

MU: I don't remember that. I do remember distinctly our quarters. It was at the end of the barrack and I think there were four units, I remember the families, and we were at the side that was closer to the latrines, the washroom, and so we didn't have that distance. In fact we were in the middle, it was 5105-E, I think, 5105-E so it was towards the middle of the barracks so we were very close to the latrine, the shower area.

MN: Now your future husband, Marvin Uratsu from Loomis was also in Tule Lake. Did you get to know him in Tule Lake?

MU: No, I did not know him. I knew of him since he was running for the student body for the following year of Tri State High School. And I would brag to my friends, "He's from California." I had friends from Oregon, friends from Washington and so we all took pride in our own state. I'd say, "Well, Marvin's from California, he's from our back home area."

<End Segment 9> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.