<Begin Segment 20>

MN: Do you know what time of the day you arrived at Manzanar? Was it dark, was it still light?

KM: I think it was still light. 'Cause it was only, from L.A. to Manzanar, you're only talking about a couple, three hour drive.

MN: Well, three hours if you're speeding, without a pit stop. It might have taken you at least four hours.

KM: Oh, yeah, but still, ample time for it to be still daylight. If you had to be there, I think probably people had to be there in the bus about eight o'clock or nine o'clock at the latest, so there was ample time for it to still be daylight there when they reached Manzanar.

MN: What was your first impression of Manzanar?

KM: [Laughs] I couldn't tell you my first impressions. I know all I could probably say is it's sure a desolate place.

MN: When you got there, how much of the camp was complete?

KM: Oh, we were in the, I was in Block 12, which is probably, I think it was only about probably half Manzanar wasn't built yet. 'Cause there's a block 1 to 6, and then 6 to 12, and then next one was 18. So, and then I think there's a midpoint of something. So I think there's about at least half of it that Manzanar wasn't built yet.

MN: Now, there were four in your family, is that right, that went in?

KM: Uh-huh.

MN: Did you have to share a barrack with another family?

KM: Uh-huh. We shared it with another, a widowed mother with three daughters. So they got half the place, and we had a curtain between us. And then my sister and I and my mom and dad were on the other side.

MN: What were some of the first things you did when you arrived at Manzanar?

KM: Well, first thing was, I think, they gave us a mattress, a straw mattress, so that we can have some, a bed to sleep on. But I think that one of the first things we did is try to plug up all the holes that was there that was bringing dust and the cold air, trying to insulate the place to keep us warm. I think we had coal burners for heating.

<End Segment 20> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.