Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Minidoka Relocation Camp Photograph Collection, 1942-1943
Overview of the Collection
- Collector
- Fukuyama, Betty
- Title
- Minidoka Relocation Camp Photograph Collection
- Dates
- 1942-1943 (inclusive)19421943
- Quantity
- 13 photographic prints (1 folder)
- Collection Number
- PH0384
- Summary
- Photographs documenting life at the Minidoka Relocation Center, Hunt, Idaho; taken for the U.S. War Relocation Authority by photographer Francis Stewart
- Repository
-
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu - Access Restrictions
Entire collection can be viewed on the Libraries’ Digital Collections website. Permission of Visual Materials Curator is required to view originals. Contact Special Collections for more information.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was partially provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Historical BackgroundReturn to Top
The Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941 led to fear and concern within the United States. Residents along the Pacific Coast of the U.S. were particularly affected by this event and feared additional bombing of their cities, homes, and businesses. In this atmosphere, Executive Order 9066 was signed by President Roosevelt on February 19, 1942. Executive Order 9066 evacuated, relocated, and interned 120,000 American citizens and permanent resident aliens who were of Japanese ancestry. President Roosevelt established the War Relocation Authority in March 1942 to oversee the construction of relocation centers on federally owned land in remote locations in six western states and Arkansas.
The Minidoka Relocation Center was established in August, 1942, in central Idaho and operated until October, 1945. The center was comprised of more than six hundred buildings including administrative, religious, residential, educational, medical, manufacturing, warehouse, and security structures. The internees lived in barracks and shared communal facilities. They engaged in light manufacturing, agriculture, and livestock production in order to provide food and clothing for the camp. President Clinton designated the Minidoka Relocation Center as a national monument on January 17th, 2001.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The photographs in this collection document life at the Minidoka Relocation Center near Hunt, Idaho. They were made for the U.S. War Relocation Authority and taken by photographer Francis Stewart in 1942 and 1943. The majority of the photographs show the people participating in the day-to-day activities of the Center. Other photographs in this collection portray individuals engaging in their respective professions in the Center; the back of these photographs includes the name, former place of employment, and current occupation in the relocation center. In addition, there are two panoramic photographs of the Center.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Alternative Forms Available
Eniter collection is available on the UW Libraries' Digital Collections site
Restrictions on Use
Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for details.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Custodial History
The photographs were transferred from the Betty Fukuyama Papers, 1944-1991 (manuscripts Accession no. 4411-1, 4411-2).
Acquisition Information
Gift of Mary A. Fukuyama, Gainesville, Florida on June 14, 1993, July 21, 1993, and Aug. 5, 1994. The photographs were from her mother, Betty Fukuyama, who was born Betty Marie Adkins in Heppner, Oregon, in 1922. She married Tom (Tsutomu Tom) Fukuyama, the son of pioneer Japanese immigrants, in 1945. Tom Fukuyama served as a clergyman while interned in the Minidoka Relocation Center during the early 1940s. Betty Fukuyama died in 1992.
Processing Note
Processed by Rebekah Dalby, 2002.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
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| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| item | ||
| 1 | Minidoka Relocation Center, Hunt, Idaho | Dec. 9, 1942 |
| 2 | Mrs. Eizo Nishi in her barracks apartment | Dec. 9, 1942 |
| 3 | Community store in Block 30 | Dec. 9, 1942 |
| 4 | Children in free-hand drawing class | Dec. 9, 1942 |
| 5 | Student Tatsuo Matsuda serving as a model in drawing class | Dec. 9, 1942 |
| 6 | Architect George Nakashima (formerly an architect in Seattle) constructing and decorating model apartment | Dec. 9, 1942 |
| 7 | Carpenter O. Kenneth Hikogawa (formerly a carpenter in Tacoma) polishing "grease-wood" to make furniture | Dec. 9, 1942 |
| 8 | Chef Dave H. Yoshida (formerly employed by Benjamin Franklin Hotel in Seattle) and crew preparing lunch | Dec. 9, 1942 |
| 9 | Minidoka Relocation Center | Dec. 10, 1942 |
| 10 | Watchmaker Sokichi Hoshide (formerly a watchmaker in Seattle) in watch repair shop | Dec. 10, 1942 |
| 11 | Hospital ward | Dec. 10, 1942 |
| 12 | Dental laboratory | Dec. 10, 1942 |
| 13 | Toshi Boi and Henry Kumasaka sledding | Jan. 9, 1943 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Concentration camp inmates--Idaho--Hunt--Photographs
- Concentration camps--Idaho--Hunt--Photographs
- Japanese Americans--Evacuation and relocation, 1942-1945
- Japanese Americans--Photographs
- Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)
- World War, 1939-1945--Concentration camps--Idaho--Hunt--Photographs
- World War, 1939-1945--Japanese Americans--Photographs
Personal Names
- Stewart, Francis
Corporate Names
- Minidoka Relocation Center--Photographs
- United States. War Relocation Authority
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Stewart, Francis (photographer)
