Densho Digital Archive - Margaret Saito Interview (denshovh-smargaret

<Begin Segment 10>

KP: Did you see any change in your parents from the farm to Pomona to Heart Mountain? Did you notice anything going on?

MS: No. I must be unconscious because I didn't. [Laughs]

KP: Your father left camp?

MS: Yeah, he left camp. Pretty early on when they were allowed to go inland he did. And then he worked in Colorado at first, I think. And then other places but --

KP: Do you know what kind of work he did?

MS: Farming. Yeah, he did farming, most of the time, except the time in Chicago where he working for a press. And he did send us those pulp books to us. So, but that...

KP: Was there communication with your father while he was gone? Did he write letters?

MS: I don't remember any. He may have but I don't know. And I don't remember writing either. Except my cousins left about the same time. They went to Salt Lake City, and I do remember writing to my cousin, my cousin, Helen. And yeah, I don't... there wasn't that much letter writing.

KP: Kind of interesting because I know that eventually your parents divorced. But a lot of men who left would get a job set up and then send for their families. Why do you think your father didn't do that? Do you have any idea?

MS: Oh, I don't know. Yeah, I have no idea. I wished we could talk about it, but there's a lot we don't know.

KP: So when did your parents get divorced?

MS: Well, I think I was eleven and my sister was ten. That would be like 1944, something like that.

KP: And it was both your parents kind of chose to do that? How did that work?

MS: Yeah, my mother said that during that week they both filed within that week. She went to Powell, Wyoming. I don't know where my father filed. But she did leave the camp to do that. So it was something mutual.

KP: Also, something unusual wasn't it?

MS: Yeah, it was unusual. But yeah, we didn't know about anybody, any families being divorced. I'm sure it was the talk of whatever but since I was too young it doesn't bother me. But it was unusual. But since then I've learned of another divorce in our church, the parents of somebody. From one of those testimonies, so I thought that was way before our parents but still.

KP: [Sneezes] Excuse me. Your dad did come back to visit the camp, correct?

MS: Yeah, he did.

KP: When was that?

MS: I don't know.

KP: It was before they were divorced?

MS: Yeah, I think it was before they were divorced. He brought the bicycles. And yeah, that's the last time we saw him when we were in camp. And I don't know when that was. I can't even put the correct time frame.

KP: What was that like, seeing your dad again?

MS: Well, it was fine. I don't recall anything special other than he brought the bicycles and that was really unusual. Yeah, that was really a curiosity. I just... so different.