Inez Puckett McEwen Collection on Japanese-American Incarceration

Inez Puckett McEwen Collection on Japanese-American Incarceration, 1942-1943

Overview of the Collection

Creator: McEwen, Inez Puckett
Title: Inez Puckett McEwen Collection on Japanese-American Incarceration
Dates: 1942-1943 (inclusive)
19421943
Quantity: 1 Folder, (4 Items)
Collection Number: Cage 4923 (collection)
Summary: This collection includes four documents related to Japanese American incarceration during World War II: typescript (mimeograph), "Address by Lt. Ray McDaniels at Heart Mountain; typescript (mimeograph), "Questions and Answers," about Japanese American recruitment into the United States armed forces; typescript (carbon) of a letter addressed to the Editors of the Heart Mountain (Wyo.) Sentinel regarding draft status of prisoners; printed form "War Relocation Authority Application for Leave Clearance."
Repository: Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Terrell Library Suite 12
Pullman, WA
99164-5610
Telephone: 509-335-6691
mascref@wsu.edu
Access Restrictions: This collection is open and available for research use.
Languages: English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Inez Puckett McEwen, 1899-1987, was born in Oyens, Iowa. She attended school in California, attending USC, Pomona, and Scripps, and earning a B.A. in dramatics. In 1943 McEwen moved to a ranch in Idaho with her husband and it was there that she wrote the popularly acclaimed book, So This Is Ranching.

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Executive Order 9066

In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which resulted in the incarceration from 1942 to 1946 of approximately 120,000 adults and children of Japanese ancestry, many of whom were United States citizens. They were expelled from their homes and placed in incarceration camps without due process and in violation of their civil rights. These camps were euphemistically referred to as “relocation centers” or “internment camps”. After decades of advocacy by the Japanese American community, in 1988 the United States issued a formal apology and began redress to survivors of Japanese incarceration during World War II.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

This collection includes four documents related to Japanese American incarceration during World War II: typescript (mimeograph), "Address by Lt. Ray McDaniels at Heart Mountain; typescript (mimeograph), "Questions and Answers," about Japanese American recruitment into the United States armed forces; typescript (carbon) of a letter addressed to the Editors of the Heart Mountain (Wyo.) Sentinel regarding draft status of prisoners; printed form "War Relocation Authority Application for Leave Clearance."

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Preferred Citation

[Item description]

Inez Puckett McEwen Collection on Japanese-American Incarceration, 1942-1943 (Cage 4923)

Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Acquisition Information

Gift; Inez Pucket McEwen; 1995; MS 1997-48.

Processing Note

In 2021, in response to evolving societal understanding regarding the language used to describe the impact of Executive Order 9066, this finding aid was revised to more accurately provide context to the mass incarceration of people of Japanese ancestry during World War II.

Related Materials

George and Frank C. Hirahara Photograph Collection of Heart Mountain, Wyoming, 1932-2016 (SC 014)

Tom T. Hide Collection, 1925-2012 (SC 014.1)

Okubara Family Collection, circa 1943-2008 (SC 014.2)

Takeda Family Collection, 1938-circa 2012 (SC 014.3)

Kenneth Nishiyori Collection, 1942-1944 (SC 014.4)

George and Doris McIntyre Papers, 1944-1945 (SC 014.5)

Mari Tsuruyama Okumura Collection, 1936-2014 (SC 014.6)

Patti Hirahara Collection, 1955-2020 (SC 014.7)

Terry Ishihara Collection, 1989-2012 (SC 014.8)

Mike Mackey Collection, 1940-2002 (SC 014.9)

Heart Mountain High School Tempo, 1945 (SC 014.10)

Fusataro Nakaya Photographs, circa 1944 (SC 014.11)

Nabata Family Collection of Heart Mountain Photographs, circa 1942-1945 (SC 014.12)

Frank Chin Oral History Collection, 1974-1986 (Cage 654)

Japanese American Redress Collection, 1976-2000 (Cage 5126)

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

Japanese Americans -- Forced removal and internment, 1942-1945.
World War, 1939-1945 -- Concentration camps -- Wyoming -- Heart Mountain.
World War, 1939-1945 -- Japanese Americans.

Personal Names

McEwen, Inez Puckett -- Records and correspondence.

Corporate Names

Heart Mountain Relocation Center (Wyo.)

Geographical Names

United States -- Armed Forces -- Japanese Americans -- History.

Archives West Finding Aid

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