What the Plaque/Guide Says:
The official caption hasn’t been written yet!
More about California Historical Landmark #1060:
California had a habit of hiring low-wage laborers from abroad, then resenting their presence in the Golden State, from the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 to the California Alien Land Law of 1913! The latter mostly targeted Japanese immigrants, who came to the mainland from newly annexed Hawaiʻi, where their indentured servitude had ended on the sugar plantations! This act prohibited “aliens ineligible for citizenship” from owning land or having a longterm lease over it!
Into this mix came Jukichi and Ken Harada, who had lived in Riverside since 1905, running a rooming house and the Washington Restaurant! To get around the land ownership laws, Mr. Harada bought this house in the name of his three American-born children, but his white neighbors weren’t buying it, filing a complaint with the state! In the 2-year case, The People of State of California vs. Jukichi Harada, Mine Harada, Sumi Harada, and Yoshizo Harada, Judge Hugh Craig of the Riverside Superior Court upheld the law but agreed that, since the three Harada children were born in the USA, they could still own this house.
On May 23, 1942, Executive Order 9066 split the Harada family into three internment camps: Tule Lake, Poston, and Central Utah, where both Ken and Jukichi died. Their youngest daughter, Sumi, returned to their Riverside house and ran it as a refuge for displaced Japanese families until 1998!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Donate to the Riverside Museum Associates!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
3356 Lemon St
Riverside, CA 92501
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
The Harada House hasn’t opened to visitors yet, but you can view the outside whenever you like!
More Photos
