The Granada Relocation Center, located in southeastern Colorado, was named after the nearby town of Granada. It was also given the name Amache, Colorado (after Amache, the daughter of a Cheyenne chief), and was often referred to in the press as a town of this name.
The camp officially opened on August 27, 1942, with the arrival of Japanese Americans from the Merced (Calif.) Assembly Center. On September 19, 1942, groups began arriving from the Santa Anita Assembly Center, and by September 30 occupation was complete. The camp had a capacity of 8,000 and at its peak held approximately 7,600 inmates. Of these, about two-thirds were U.S. citizens. About half -- primarily those from the Merced Assembly Center -- were from rural areas, while those from the Santa Anita Assembly Center were primarily from the urban Los Angeles area.
The camp covered 10,400 acres of prairie land, 3,592 feet above sea level, with one square mile of buildings. Most of the buildings were military-style barracks. The residential area was divided into thirty blocks, each containing a mess hall, recreation hall, block office, laundry facilities, shower room, and toilets. Each block housed about 250 people in twelve barracks. The barracks measured 120-by-20 feet and were divided into six apartments. These rooms ranged from 16-by-20 feet to 24-by-20 feet and contained a closet, coal stove, cots, mattresses, and quilts. The camp also contained several schools, a hospital, and a police department. Agriculture was the principal industry; vegetable and grain crops, along with livestock, were raised on two ranches, the Koen Ranch and the XY Ranch.
The inmates themselves were responsible for much of the community's
government. The Block Managers Assembly, creator of these records, served as
the community council and consisted of an elected representative from each
block.
Amache Consumer Enterprises, a major subgroup of the Block Managers
Assembly records, was the consumer's cooperative for the Granada camp.
Incorporated on January 25, 1943 and supervised by a nine-member board of
directors, it included the following enterprises: "clothing store, variety
store, shoe store, shoe repair shop, cleaning and pressing agency, barber shop,
beauty parlor, canteen, watch repairing, and optometry supplies."
This collection consists of micorfilm copies of .75 cubic ft. of
material accumulated by Yatsutoshi Yoshizawa in the course of his duties as a
member of the Block Managers Assembly and several of the Assembly's committees.
The bulk of these records are minutes of the Block Managers Assembly. These minutes, along with other records, document primarily the day-to-day management of the camp rather than the broad administrative policies set by the War Relocation Authority. Typical issues addressed include community activities, maintenance, supplies, etc. Also included, however, are responses to major issues and policies, such as searches of living quarters, meetings with the Spanish Consul (the representative of Japanese nationals during the war), and, especially, concerns regarding relocation outside the camp. These concerns are particularly well-documented by the Granada Community Analysis reports (Reports, roll 2, frames 242-346). These two items present detailed analyses of inmate attitudes and concerns about leaving the camp, and include statistical data and graphs as well as text.
The Amache Recreation Association, Granada Relocation Center, Mess Committee, and Yoshizawa, Yatsutoshi subgroups were refilmed after frame numbers had already been entered on the inventory. Hence there is a slight discrepancy between the frame numbers listed on the inventory that was filmed and the frame numbers listed on the paper copy of the inventory. The frame numbers on the paper copy (and on the copy displayed below) are correct.
Materials Omitted from Microfilm: Items not filmed generally fall into two categories--duplicates and materials of questionable research value. In a few cases, however, items were filmed that appear to be duplicates but actually contain slight variations. Other unfilmed materials are from the following series and/or subgroups:
Open to all users. This collection is also available onlline through Colorado College Special Collections.
Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.
Microfilmed by UW Libraries
Duplicates, not filmed.
Not filmed.
Some items not filmed.
Not filmed.
Not filmed.
Not filmed.
Not filmed.
Not filmed.
Not filmed.