Frank K. And Sadie Yoshimura photograph collection
Collection
Identifier: P1091
Scope and Contents
The Frank K. And Sadie Yoshimura photograph collection contains mainly material realted to Topaz Relocation Camp.
Dates
- 1940-1950
Language of Materials
Collection materials are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.
Conditions Governing Use
It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.
Permission to publish material from the Frank K. And Sadie Yoshimura photograph collection must be obtained from the Special Collections Manuscript Curator.
Permission to publish material from the Frank K. And Sadie Yoshimura photograph collection must be obtained from the Special Collections Manuscript Curator.
Historical Note
The Topaz War Relocation Center was a detention camp for Americans of Japanese descent and immigrants from Japan that operated from September 11, 1942 until October 31, 1945. Topaz was also known as the Central Utah Relocation Center (Topaz) and the Abraham Relocation Center. The imprisonment of Japanese Americans was authorized by Executive Order 9066, which President Franklin Roosevelt signed on February 1942 in response to Imperial Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor on December 11, 1941. On March 18, 1942, Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9102, which established the War Relocation Authority (WRA), a civilian agency to administer permanent detention camps for Americans of Japanese descent and immigrants. Beginning in March 1942, the American government relocated approximately 120,000 Americans of Japanese descent and immigrants from their homes on the West Coast and into ten WRA detention camps in the interior of the American West.
Topaz was located about 15 miles west of Delta in Millard County, Utah. It consisted of almost 20,000 acres, with 640 acres dedicated to the living area. The living area consisted of uninsulated barracks, two elementary schools, a high school, and several churches. The WRA camps were designed to be self-sufficient, and internees were made to work farming and raising animals. Topaz was the largest detention camp in Utah, and during World War II it was the fifth largest city in the state. Over 9,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese immigrants were imprisoned there. The majority of the internees were from the San Francisco Bay Area, and about 65% were children or descendants of Japanese immigrants.
After the United States government closed Topaz in 1945, many of the internees resettled in Salt Lake City, Chicago, Cleveland, and St. Louis, while others preferred to return to California. The government sold the land and buildings after closing Topaz. In 1976, the Japanese American Citizen League Salt Lake City chapter erected a monument in the former Topaz camp. In 2007, the United States government designated the site as a National Historic Landmark.
Topaz was located about 15 miles west of Delta in Millard County, Utah. It consisted of almost 20,000 acres, with 640 acres dedicated to the living area. The living area consisted of uninsulated barracks, two elementary schools, a high school, and several churches. The WRA camps were designed to be self-sufficient, and internees were made to work farming and raising animals. Topaz was the largest detention camp in Utah, and during World War II it was the fifth largest city in the state. Over 9,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese immigrants were imprisoned there. The majority of the internees were from the San Francisco Bay Area, and about 65% were children or descendants of Japanese immigrants.
After the United States government closed Topaz in 1945, many of the internees resettled in Salt Lake City, Chicago, Cleveland, and St. Louis, while others preferred to return to California. The government sold the land and buildings after closing Topaz. In 1976, the Japanese American Citizen League Salt Lake City chapter erected a monument in the former Topaz camp. In 2007, the United States government designated the site as a National Historic Landmark.
Extent
1 Box
Abstract
The Frank K. And Sadie Yoshimura photograph collection contains mainly material realted to Topaz Relocation Camp.
Arrangement
By folder and subject.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Frank and Sadie Yoshimura in 2007.
Separated Materials
see also the Manuscripts Division in Special Collections (Accn 1983).
Processing Information
Processed by Photo Archives Staff.
- Title
- Guide to the Frank K. And Sadie Yoshimura photograph collection 1940-1950
- Author
- Finding aid created by Sara Davis.
- Date
- 2015
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid encoded in English in Latin script.
Repository Details
Part of the J. Willard Marriott Library Special Collections Repository
Contact:
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City Utah 84112 United States
801-581-8863
special@library.utah.edu
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City Utah 84112 United States
801-581-8863
special@library.utah.edu