Densho Digital Archive - Irene Yamauchi Tatsuta Interview (denshovh-tirene-01-0031)

<Begin Segment 31>

KL: We were talking as I was walking up about your love for National Park Service units and some of the places you've been, and I, so National Park Service, Manzanar National Historic Site was authorized in the '90s and the National Park Service has owned that land and managed it since the late '90s, and also the National Park Service manages Minidoka. And I wonder what you -- and you've never to them, so I wonder what you kind of would like to see at those sites. What, how would you guide the National Park Service in managing those sites and talking to visitors about what went on there? It's a big question, but...

IT: It's kind of hard for me to visualize what's there now, 'cause I haven't even been to Manzanar and I hope to see that. I think one of my kids will take me for a drive over there. I'd like to see Idaho, where I was. Oh, on one of my trips, I think it was, I went to see the hot air balloon, and they said our hotel was located where they had the Japanese Americans in the camp. And I can't remember which --

KL: In Santa Fe?

IT: Yeah. No, wait now... well, I can't remember where it was. I mean, it was... I can't remember the --

KL: Somewhere in Idaho, or is it in New Mexico?

IT: No, this one, this one, remember I was telling you about Crystal City and --

KL: Oh yeah, in Texas.

IT: 'Kay, it wasn't Texas, though.

KL: I know Albuquerque.

IT: It was the camp you went to first. Yeah, there.

KL: Albuquerque?

IT: Do you know the name of the camp?

KL: No, there were camps in Moab and Leupp, and there was a detention center in Santa Fe in New Mexico. But it might just be that I don't what...

IT: Okay, it could be Santa Fe. Well, it was, we were in New Mexico, or where the hot air balloon is, Albuquerque.

KL: Yeah.

IT: Around there. And they said that's where the camp was, so then I asked the tour guide about what camp was there, and they didn't know much about it. But anyway, it just surprised me how the land they picked was desert, I mean not much, and I was so proud of the people that made our camp livable. I couldn't believe the farmland and, it was not land to be farmed, but they made it into farmland and grew the crops and, I just couldn't believe how they built a city, or whatever you want to call, community, out of nothing, you know? It the land was, or the weather or whatever, was pretty bad. Of course, we'd just get used to it 'cause we were stuck there anyway.

KL: That was gonna be my last question, is, in fifty years, a hundred years, if people go to Minidoka and visit, what do you want them to know or remember about that place? But maybe that's part of an answer.

IT: Yeah. I just don't want America to make that mistake again. That was so sad. And we all came out with different experiences, so a lot of my friends can't talk about it yet. But I'm blabbing away because I want people to know that was history and that's what happened in our country, that I still am an American and I plan to die one. [Laughs]