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| Landmark #850 | Inyo County | Visited: Sept. 29, 2012 | Plaque? YES! 🙂 |
| What is it? | Manzanar National Historic Site! |
| What makes it historical? | THE GUIDE SAYS: In the early part of World War II, 110,000 persons of Japanese ancestry were interned in relocation centers by Executive Order No. 9066 issued February 19, 1942. Manzanar, the first of ten such concentration camps, was bounded by barbed wire and guard towers. It confined ten thousand persons, the majority of them American citizens. May the injustices and humiliation suffered here as a result of hysteria, racism, and economic exploitation never emerge again.
OTHER TIDBITS: This area has long been a region of forced relocation. The Paiute who had lived here for 1,500 years, were pushed out in 1860 by miners and ranchers. Many miners and ranchers were then pushed out by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power who bought up all the land and water rights in the area between 1913 and 1929. Tourists passed through from the 30s to the outbreak of World War II, when Manzanar, named for its former apple orchards, brought in more displaced people and rose to infamy! From March until September 1942, more than 10,000 Japanese-Americans crowded into the barracks here. Every eight people got a 20 by 25 foot room with an oil stove, a light bulb, and cots with straw mattresses to defend them from the harsh desert elements! Many of them found work in the camp, making between $12 and $19 a month, and set up their own community activities to make the most of the bad situation. They lived this way until November 1945! Today, Manzanar National Historic Site has an excellent museum that illuminates the lives of those wrongfully imprisoned here, and preserves the barracks, orchards, and churches faithfully. There is also a beautiful Soul Consoling Tower in front of the mountains that commemorates those who died here in the camp! This landmark is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places! |
| How can I Help the Helpers? | HERE’S HOW:
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| Where is this place? | LISTED DIRECTIONS: 200 ft W of State Hwy 395 (P.M. 673) 9.6 mi N of Lone Pine, CA 93526 ANNOTATIONS: From Los Angeles: ~220mi (355km) — 3.7hrs |
| When should I go? | The visitor center is open daily from 9:00 AM until 4:30 PM during the winter (October 1 – March 31) and until 5:30 PM during the summer (June 1 – September 30)! |
