Amache

https://www.nps.gov/amch/index.htm Amache, also known as the Granada Relocation Center, near Granada, Colorado was one of ten incarceration sites established by the War Relocation Authority during World War II to unjustly incarcerate Japanese Americans. Over 10,000 people, most American citizens, were incarcerated at Amache from 1942-1945. Amache - a place to reflect, recommit, and further the pursuit of freedom and justice. Amache National Historic Site is in southeastern Colorado about 1.5 miles west of the town of Granada, 17.5 miles east of Lamar, and half an hour drive from the Kansas border. The site is located off Highway 385/50 along the Santa Fe Trail. No Visitor Center Exists Currently, Amache National Historic Site does not have a visitor center. There is a museum in Granada, CO that is operated by the Amache Preservation Society. They are open Tuesday through Saturday from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. Head to amache.org for more information. Amache Barracks and Guard Tower reconstructed barracks, guard and water towers surrounded by brown grass and shrubs. Reconstructed barracks, guard and water towers at the newly designated Amache National Historic Site Podcast 116: Uncovering the Gardens at Amache Summer Archaeology team excavates garden feature at Amache. Photo courtesy of Jim West Summer Archaeology team excavates garden feature at Amache. Terminology and the Mass Incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II Terminology and the Mass Incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II Japanese American man reads newspaper Life Behind Barbed Wire The structure of daily life in Amache was drastically different from life outside of incarceration. Cramped, shared spaces and communal dining and bathing robbed incarcerees of their privacy, forcing them to adapt, subvert, and redefine private spaces. Children tend to a garden in a field. Building Amache Construction of Amache began on June 12, 1942, using a huge workforce of nearly a thousand people, including incarcerees who left the temporary detention centers early to assist in this effort. Because many of the buildings were hastily built, there were often gaps between the insulation board walls and the wooden frames of the barracks, allowing the dust, cold, heat, and insects to easily infiltrate incarcerees’ living spaces. Construction workers assemble barracks buildings. Populating Amache Incarcerees at Amache came primarily from three areas of California: the Northern San Francisco Bay Area, primarily Sonoma County; Central California, namely the San Joaquin Valley; and southwestern Los Angeles, including the Seinan District. A large group of boys congregate on a dirt field in front of a complex of one story buildings.