Heart Mountain Relocation Center, Heart Mountain, Wyoming
9/19/1942
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The original caption for this photograph reads: Heart Mountain Relocation Center, Heart Mountain, Wyoming. Evening falls over the Heart Mountain Relocation Center where nearly 11,000 persons of Japanese ancestry reside. One by one, lights dim out in the barracks and Wyoming's third largest city dozes off to sleep.
During World War II, West Coast residents of Japanese American ancestry were interned in fenced relocation centers in the United States following President Franklin D. Roosevelt's issuance of Executive Order 9066 in 1942.
The relocation camps were created and sustained by the full authority of the Federal Government, so no recourse was left other than compliance. Even the smallest details of life in the United States were duplicated; in one Heart mountain report, it was noted that the Girl Scouts had completely sold out their supply of cookies. More significantly, democratic institutions and personal rights were painstakingly replicated in the camps. Internees held block meetings, elected representatives to the camp councils, established rules of conduct, enforced those rules, and judged offenders.
During World War II, West Coast residents of Japanese American ancestry were interned in fenced relocation centers in the United States following President Franklin D. Roosevelt's issuance of Executive Order 9066 in 1942.
The relocation camps were created and sustained by the full authority of the Federal Government, so no recourse was left other than compliance. Even the smallest details of life in the United States were duplicated; in one Heart mountain report, it was noted that the Girl Scouts had completely sold out their supply of cookies. More significantly, democratic institutions and personal rights were painstakingly replicated in the camps. Internees held block meetings, elected representatives to the camp councils, established rules of conduct, enforced those rules, and judged offenders.
This primary source comes from the Records of the War Relocation Authority.
National Archives Identifier: 538761
Full Citation: Photograph 210-G-E98; Heart Mountain Relocation Center, Heart Mountain, Wyoming; 9/19/1942; Central Photographic File of the War Relocation Authority, 1942 - 1945; Records of the War Relocation Authority, Record Group 210; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/heart-mountain, June 4, 2023]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.