Describing Archives: A Content Standard

NTE2sc014.xml Guide to the George and Frank C. Hirahara Photograph Collection of Heart Mountain, Wyoming 1932-2016 Hirahara, (George and Frank C.) Photograph Collection of Heart Mountain, Wyoming Finding aid prepared by Cheryl Gunselman and Steve Bingo. Washington State University Libraries Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections © 2016

Pullman, WA 99164-5610 USA (509) 335-6691 https://libraries.wsu.edu/masc/ mascref@wsu.edu

Finding aid encoded by Doug Lambeth. 2013 Finding aid written in English. English. Finding aid based on DACS ( Describing Archives: A Content Standard). Washington State University Libraries Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections

Pullman, WA 99164-5610 USA (509) 335-6691 https://libraries.wsu.edu/masc/ mascref@wsu.edu

SC 014 Hirahara, George, 1905-2000 George and Frank C. Hirahara Photograph Collection of Heart Mountain, Wyoming 1932-2016 27.5 linear feet of shelf space 32 boxes The main focus of this collection is the Heart Mountain Relocation Center, Wyoming, where the Hirahara family was incarcerated during World War II. Collection materials are in English and Japanese

In 1907, the Hirahara family immigrated to the Yakima Valley where they owned a farm and ran the Pacific Hotel. In 1942, they were removed from the Yakima Valley by the War Relocation Authority as part of the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans authorized by Executive Order 9066. The Hiraharas were sent to the Portland Assembly Center before their incarceration at Heart Mountain Relocation Center in Wyoming. The Hirahara family, including grandfather Motokichi, grandmother Sato, father George, mother Koto, and son Frank, were among nearly eleven thousand people of Japanese ancestry incarcerated at the Heart Mountain Relocation Center from 1942 to 1945.

In 1943, the Hirahara family purchased photography equipment from a Sears, Roebuck, and Co. catalog and built a darkroom beneath his family barrack. George and his son, Frank, took thousands of pictures that portrayed life at the Heart Mountain Relocation Center, including daily practices, festivals, funerals, sports, and the Heart Mountain School. George Hirahara (1905-2000) took numerous family and individual portraits, and Frank C. Hirahara (1926-2006) served as a photographer for the 1945 Heart Mountain High School Tempo Yearbook his senior year. Both George and Frank also took many landscape portraits, as well as photographs of their family trips to nearby destinations like Yellowstone National Park.

Frank C. Hirahara left the Heart Mountain Relocation Center in January 1945 to attend Washington State College (later Washington State University). While at WSC, Frank participated on the school track team. Later in 1945, he returned to the Heart Mountain Relocation Center to attend a funeral for his grandfather Motokichi Hirahara. Frank graduated WSC in 1948 with a degree in Electrical Engineering and later served as an engineer for the Bonneville Power Administration.

At the closure of the Heart Mountain Relocation Center in 1945, George and Koto Hirahara returned to Yakima, Washington, where they resumed their lives, until moving to California in 1992.

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.

The main focus of this collection is the Heart Mountain Relocation Center, Wyoming, where the Hirahara family was incarcerated during World War II. It includes: 2712 photographs, photography equipment used by George and Frank C. Hirahara at Heart Mountain, and a substantial amount of related non-photographic material (manuscripts, artifacts, and printed items). In addition to the Heart Mountain materials, the collection also includes photographs, papers, and memorabilia from Washington State College, as well as documents related to the Hirahara family.

The documents in this collection are arranged in four series: Photographs, Manuscripts, Printed Materials, and Artifacts.

SERIES LIST

Series 1:

Photographs, 1943-2016. This series contains both negatives and prints. These photographs are arranged in five subseries.

Subseries 1.1:

Reference prints. This subseries consists of reference copies of all photographs within this collection.

Subseries 1.2:

George and Frank C. Hirahara negatives and prints of Heart Mountain Relocation Center, 1943-2016. This subseries contains original negatives and prints.

Subseries 1.3:

Other photographers' prints and negatives of Heart Mountain Relocation Center, 1943-1945.

Subseries 1.4:

Frank C. Hirahara negatives and prints of Washington State College, 1945-1948.

Subseries 1.5:

Miscellaneous negatives and prints, 1940s-1982.

Access note: Patrons will be asked to use reference prints. Original photographs will be made available upon request.

Additional information and images available: Item level descriptions and a selection of photographs from this collection are available in the related digital collection: George and Frank C. Hirahara Photograph Collection of Heart Mountain, Wyoming 1943-1945.

Note about image identifiers and physical arrangement: The photographs within each subseries are arranged in the original sequence in which they were received. A unique identifier has been assigned to each image, incorporating information about the original physical location of the photograph (example: sc14b01f0429n07a refers to the top portion of the seventh negative in the 429th folder received in box 1).

Series 2:

Manuscripts, 1942-2012. This series consists of papers and records pertaining to the Heart Mountain Relocation Center and the Hirahara family. These documents are arranged in four subseries.

Subseries 2.1:

Heart Mountain Relocation Center, 1942-1945.

Subseries 2.2:

Frank C. Hirahara papers (Washington State College), 1945-1948.

Subseries 2.3:

Frank C. Hirahara papers (photography), 1940s-1980s.

Subseries 2.4:

Miscellaneous supporting materials (Heart Mountain Relocation Center and Hirahara family), 1942-2016.

Series 3:

Printed Materials, 1932-2009. This series includes a yearbook from Heart Mountain High School, and several books on photography.

Series 4:

Artifacts, 1940s-1980s. This series consists of realia from George and Frank C. Hirahara, Heart Mountain Relocation Center, and Washington State College.

Subseries 4.1:

George and Frank C. Hirahara photography equipment and supplies, 1940s-1950s.

Subseries 4.2:

Heart Mountain Relocation Center memorabilia, 1940s.

Subseries 4.3:

Washington State College memorabilia, 1945-1948.

The photographs in this collection have been digitized and are available online in the George and Frank C. Hirahara Photograph Collection, 1943-1945.

This collection is open and available for research use.

For photographs, patrons will be asked to use reference prints. Original negatives and prints will be made available upon request.

George and Frank C. Hirahara Photograph Collection of Heart Mountain, Wyoming 1943-1945

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

The George and Frank C. Hirahara Photograph Collection of Heart Mountain, Wyoming was donated to Washington State University by Patti Hirahara, the granddaughter of George Hirahara and daughter of Frank Hirahara. It was received in multiple installments from 2010 to 2016 (MS 2010-35; MS 2011-07; MS 2001-11; MS 2011-12; MS 2011-12; MS 2011-26; MS 2011-31; MS 2011-39; MS 2012-01; MS 2012-05; MS 2013-32; MS 2016-32).

Jacki Hedlund Tyler processed the collection in 2012. A Japanese American Confinement Sites (JACS) grant provided funding for processing, and for digitization of photographs from Heart Mountain. The JACS grant was administered by the National Parks Service. Steven Bingo processed accessions arriving from 2013-2016.

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.

The following items were removed for separate cataloging:

Ehrlich, Gretel. Heart Mountain: A Novel. New York: Viking, 1984. (PS3555.H72 H4 1988)

Hirabayashi, Lane Ryo. Japanese American Resettlement Through the Lens: Hikaru Iwasaki and the WRA's Photographic Section, 1943-1945. Boulder: University Press of Colorado, 2009. (D769.8 A6 H578 2009)

Memories: The Buddhist Church Experience in the Camps, 1942-1945. Eiko Irene Masuyama, 2007. (D769.8 A6 M46 2007)

Murata, Alica. Japanese Americans in Chicago. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing, 2002.

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)

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

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

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Hirahara, George, 1905-2000 -- Archives Hirahara, Frank C., 1926-2006 -- Archives Hirahara, Frank C., 1926-2006 Hirahara family -- History -- Sources Heart Mountain Relocation Center (Wyo.) -- History -- Sources Washington State University -- History -- Sources Japanese Americans -- Forced removal and internment, 1942-1945 Black-and-white photography -- Social aspects -- United States -- History -- 20th century Photography -- Equipment and supplies Japanese Americans Civil Rights Photographs Series 1: Photographs Subseries 1.1: Reference prints 1.1 1 Reference prints (identifiers sc14b01f0001n01-sc14b01f0148n02a) 1.1 2 Reference prints (identifiers sc14b01f0148n02b-sc14b01f0269n06a) 1.1 3 Reference prints (identifiers sc14b01f0269n06b-sc14b01f409n05) 1.1 4 Reference prints (identifiers sc14b01f0409n06-sc14b01f0565n01) 1.1 5 Reference prints (identifiers sc14b01f0566n01-print-sc14b02f0057n01-print) 1.1 6 Reference prints (identifiers sc14b02f0058n01-sc14b03f002p07) 1.1 7 Reference prints (identifiers sc14b03f002p08-scrapbook_section8_18) Subseries 1.2: George and Frank C. Hirahara negatives and prints of the Heart Mountain Relocation Center, 1943-2016 1.2 Negatives (identifiers sc14b01f00001n01-sc14b01f0118n09b) 1.3 Negatives (identifiers sc14b01f0119n01a-sc14b01f0235n04) 1.4 Negatives (identifiers sc14b01f236n01-sc14b01f0315n01) 1.5 Negatives (identifiers sc14b01f316n01-sc14b01f0420n02-print) 1.6 Negatives (identifiers sc14b01f0421n01-sc14b01f0533n02) 1.7 Negatives (identifiers sc14b01f0534n01-sc14b01f0587n08-print) 2.1 Negatives (identifiers sc14b02f0001n01-sc14b02f0120n01) 2.2 Negatives (identifiers sc14b02f0121n01a-sc14b02f0172n04) 2.3 8 Negatives (identifiers sc14b01f0612n01a-sc14b01f0613n03c) 2.3 9 Prints (identifiers sc14b02f0170n01-print-sc14b02f0170n31) 2.3 10 Prints (identifiers sc14b02f0171n01-print-sc14b02f0171n48-print) 3.1 11 Prints (identifiers sc14b03f001p01-sc14b03f001p03) 3.1 12 Prints (identifiers sc14b03f002p01-sc14b03f002p12) 3.1 13 Prints (identifiers sc14b03f003p01-sc14b03f003p12) 3.1 14 Prints (identifiers sc14b03f004p01-sc14b03f004p11) 3.1 15 Prints (identifiers sc14b03f005p01-sc14b03f005p03) 3.1 16 Prints (identifiers sc14b03f006p01-sc14b03f006p19) 3.1 17 Prints (identifiers sc14b03f007p01-sc14b03f007n20) 3.1 18 Prints (identifiers sc14b03f0008n01-sc14b03f008p12) 3.1 19 Prints (identifiers sc14b03f009-sc14b03f009p09) 3.1 20 Prints (identifiers sc14b03f010p01-sc14b03f010p03) 3.1 21 Prints (identifiers sc14b03f011p01-sc14b03f011p005) 3.1 22 Prints (identifiers sc14b03f012p01-sc14b03f012p11) 3.1 23 Prints (identifiers sc14b03f013p01-sc14b03f013p13) 3.1 24 Prints (identifiers sc14b03f014p01-sc14b03f014p06) 3.1 25 Prints (identifiers sc14b03f015p01-sc14b03f015p08) 3.1 26 Prints (identifiers sc14b03f016p01-sc14b03f016p33) 21 81 Prints (identifiers sc14b21f001p01-sc14b03f016p02) 1943 21 96 Frank C. Hirahara and Kunio Yamamoto 1944, undated 21 97 Betty Nitake Murata circa 1944, 2016 21 98 Sumiji Tamaki circa 1944, 1985-2016 Subseries 1.3: Other photographers' prints and negatives of the Heart Mountain Relocation Center, 1943-1945 3.2 27 Other photographers' Heart Mountain negatives (identifiers sc14b01f0487n01a-sc14b01f0487n01b) 3.2 28 Other photographers' Heart Mountain negatives (identifiers sc14b01f0588n01a-sc14c01f0611n01b) 3.2 29 Other photographers' Heart Mountain prints (identifiers sc14b02f0170n28-print-sc14b02f0170n29-print) 3.2 30 Other photographers' Heart Mountain prints (identifiers sc14b03f017n01-print-sc14b03f017n03-print) 3.3 Heart Mountain High School Tempo yearbook production materials Subseries 1.4: Frank C. Hirahara photographs of Washington State College, 1945-1948 4.1 31 Negatives (identifiers sc14b04f01n01a-sc14b04f01n14-print) 4.1 32 Prints (identifiers sc14b04f01n15-print-sc14b4f01n22-print) 4.1 33 Negatives (identifiers sc14b04f01n23a-sc14b04f01n59b) 4.1 34 Slides 21 82 Prints of Nicky Morgan 1947 21 83 Prints and negatives 1947 21 84 Prints, slides, and negatives circa 1947 21 85 Prints and negatives of Pullman flood circa 1947 Subseries 1.5: Miscellaneous negatives and prints, 1940s-1982 4.1 35 Frank C. Hirahara Oregon Camera Club prints (identifiers sc14b04f02n01-print-sc14b04f02n19-print) 4.2 36 Frank C. Hirahara Oregon Camera Club prints (identifiers sc14b04f02n14-print-sc14b04f02n19-print) 4.3 37 Miscellaneous prints and negatives (identifiers sc14b04f03n01-print-sc14b04f03n07-print) 4.3 38 Portrait of Frank C. Hirahara 4.3 38 Photo album. First Heart Mountain Reunion Dinner, Hyatt Regency Hotel, Los Angeles, California. 1982 April 3. 21 86 Print of Seattle circa 1947 Series 2: Manuscripts, 1942-2012 Subseries 2.1: Heart Mountain Relocation Center, 1942-1945 5 39 Letter to George Hirahara from Koto Hirahara. "Letter and envelope sent to George Hirahara in Pasco, Washington, from Koto Hirahara at Heart Mountain Relocation Center, Wyoming." 1943. 5 39 Letter to Frank C. Hirahara from Bud Aoyama. "Letter and envelope sent to Frank C. Hirahara at Heart Mountain Relocation Center, Wyoming, by Bud Aoyama at Denver, Colorado." 1945. 5 39 Letters to George, Koto, and Sato Hirahara from Frank C. Hirahara. 1948. 5 39 Letters and an envelope sent to George Hirahara at Wapato, Washington, by Frank C. Hirahara at Washington State College. 1948. 5 39 Postcards. "Various postcards and a Valentine's Day card acquired by the Hirahara family or sent to the Hirahara family at Heart Mountain Relocation Center, Wyoming." 1942-1945. 5 39 Incineration certificate for Motokichi Hirahara. "Letter and envelope from the Great Falls Mausoleum, Inc., from Great Falls, Montana, sent to the Hirahara family certifying the incineration of Motokichi Hirahara." 1945. 5 39 Letter from War Relocation Authority Relocation Officer confirming relocation of the Hirahara family. October 4, 1945. 21 87 Photocopy of Heart Mountain Eagle. December 7, 1943. 21 95 Frank Hirahara's War Relocation Authority indefinite leave card. 1944. Subseries 2.2: Frank C. Hirahara papers (Washington State College), 1945-1977 5 40 Washington State College transcript for Frank C. Hirahara. "Frank C. Hirahara's final transcript from Washington State College received upon completion of a Bachelor of Science in Electric Engineering." 1948 December. 5 40 Final Exam Questions. "A copy of the final exam questions for Civil Engineering 115, with notes by Frank C. Hirahara, at Washington State College." 1947 June 10. 5 40 Paper on Vibration Characteristics. "Frank C. Hirahara's copy of a paper on Vibration Characteristics of Type H-H Copper Conductor With and Without Dampers by Bernard Fried and M.A. Gudor at the State College of Washington." 5 40 Washington State College stickers. "Three different stickers portraying the Washington State College logo and name." 1945-1948. 5 40 Graduation Card. 1948. "A greetings card and envelope celebrating Frank C. Hirahara's graduation from Washington State College." 1948. 21 88 Washington State University decal and donation form, 1973 Subseries 2.3: Frank C. Hirahara papers (photography), 1940s-1980s 5 41 Certificate of Active Membership for the Photographic Society of America. "A certificate presented to Frank C. Hirahara for being an active member of the Photographic Society of America." 1948. 5 41 Certificate of Active Membership for the Photographic Society of America. "A certificate presented to Frank C. Hirahara for being an active member of the Photographic Society of American." 5 41 Certificate of Membership for the Portland Photographic Society. "A certificate presented to Frank C. Hirahara for being a member of good standing of the Portland Photographic Society." 1948. 5 41 First Prize Certificate from the Oregon Camera Club. "A certificate presented to Frank C. Hirahara for first prize in the Fall Quarterly Salon award." 1951. 5 41 Newspaper Clipping. "A newspaper clipping from the Sunday Journal Magazine of Frank C. Hirahara's photographs of Jean Chesler, as part of an Oregon Camera Club event." 1951 August 12. 5 41 Newspaper clipping. "A newspaper clipping from the Sunday Journal Magazine of Frank C. Hirahara's photograph of young boy being held by his father for the Oregon Camera Club's photo competition." 1952 August 3. 5 41 Newspaper clipping. "A newspaper clipping from the Sunday Oregonian Magazine of Frank C. Hirahara's photograph of Patti Throop, Miss Oregon and the Oregon Camera Club's 'Favorite Model.'" 1953 July 10. 5 41 Newspaper clipping. "A newspaper clipping that contains the photographs 'Sunday in the Park' and 'Refreshment' by Frank C. Hirahara as part of an Oregon Camera Club competition. The photos displayed in this newspaper clipping were runners-up for the competition." 21 89 Camera insurance form, 1953 Subseries 2.4: Miscellaneous supporting materials (Heart Mountain Relocation Center and Hirahara family), 1942-2013 5 42 Miscellaneous manuscripts. 1947-1948. 21 90 Selective Service documents, 1948-1954 5 43-53 Scrapbook: The Hirahara Family: The Yakima Buddhist Church and Buddhism in the Pacific Northwest, 1948-2011. Compiled by Patti Hirahara. 2011. 21 91 Programs and recordings related to Hirahara photographs, 1990-2013 6-7 54-61 Supporting materials, documents, films, and reproduced photographs pertaining to the Heart Mountain Relocation Center and the Hirahara family, 1942-2015. 21 99 Clippings on Yellowstone National Park, Heart Mountain reunions, and the 442nd infantry regiment 2013-2016 21 100 Heart Mountain Buddhist and Buddhist Temple of Chicago (photocopies) 1943-2016 Series 3: Printed Materials, 1932-2009 8 62 Allied Radio Corporation. Allied's Radio Builder's Handbook: A Simplified Radio Handbook for Beginners and Experimenters. Chicago: Allied Radio Corporation, 1946. 8 63 Bond, Fred. Kodachrome and Ektachrome: From All Angles. San Francisco: Camera Craft Publishing Co., 1949. 8 64 Boucher, Paul E. Fundamentals of Photography: With Laboratory Experiments. Second Edition. New York: D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., 1947. 21 92 Camera Technique for Professional Photographers. Rochester, N.Y.: Eastman Kodak Co., 1952 8 65 Central Station Engineers of Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. Electrical Transmission and Distribution Reference Book. Third Edition. East Pittsburgh: Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co., 1944. 8 66 Conrad, Edith Underwood. Show Me How to Write in Manuscript: Book Two. New York: A.N. Palmer Co., 1940. 8 67 Engineering Handbook. Harrison: Hyatt Bearing Division, General Motors Corporation, 1946. 8 68 Falk, Samuel F., ed. Universal Photo Almanac. New York: Falk Publishing Co., 1948. 9 69 Heart Mountain Reunion, XI. West Covina: Heart Mountain Committee, 2009. 21 93 How to Make Good Pictures: A Book for the Every-Day Photographer. Twenty-third edition. Rochester, N.Y.: Eastman Kodak Co., circa 1940 9 70 Lake, Barbara, ed. The 1945 Chinook: Washington State College. Associated Students of the State College of Washington, 1945. 9 71 Lessenberry, D. D. and S. J. Wanous, eds. College Typewriting: Intensive Course. Fourth Edition. Cincinnati: South-Western Publishing Co., 1948. 9 72 Mitchell, Dorothy and Virginia McMath, eds. The 1946 Chinook: Washington State College. Associated Students of the State College of Washington, 1946. 9 73 Moulton, Powers. Best Jokes For All Occasions. New York: Permabooks, 1948. 9 74 Pen to fude de no Tegami no kakikata. Japan, 1932. 21 101 Picture taking with the No. 3A Kodak Series II 10 75 Pierson, Averill. The Chinook 1947: Washington State College. Associated Students of the State College of Washington, 1947. 10 76 Power Line Carrier Equipment for Relaying, Telemetering, Load Control, Remote Trip and Emergency Communication. Newark: Westinghouse Electric Corporation, 1946. 10 77 Sanseido's New Concise Japanese-English Dictionary. Japan, 1952. 10 78 The 1944 Tempo: Heart Mountain High School Yearbook. Prairie Publishing Co., 1944. 10 79 Van Wadenoyen, Hugo. Photographing People: Ways to New Portraiture. New York: Focal Press Inc., 1948. 21 94 Yellowstone National Park postcards. Salt Lake City: Intermountain Tourist Supply, Inc. 10 80 Young Buddhist Companion. San Francisco: Commission of Buddhist Research and Publication, 1948. Series 4: Artifacts, 1940s-1980s Subseries 4.1: George and Frank C. Hirahara photography equipment and supplies, 1940s-1950s 11-18 George and Frank C. Hirahara photography equipment and supplies, 1940s-1950s. Subseries 4.2: Heart Mountain Relocation Center memorabilia, 1940s 18-19 Heart Mountain Relocation Center memorabilia, 1940s Subseries 4.3: Washington State College memorabilia, 1945-1948 20 Washington State College memorabilia, 1945-1948