If you can, provide 1-2 sources of information backing up this correction. species in North America, a real fear among the internees. basketball leagues as well as other sporting events. A tabulation of preference 1492 into law guaranteeing $38,000,000 in federal money to restore the Jerome relocation center along with nine other former Japanese internment camps.[2]. "Echoes of Silence: The Untold Stories of the Nisei Soldiers Who
responsibility he also formally reserved the right of final determination of any individual's transfer destination, regardless The Council felt that transfer destinations did not fall within the field of their rightful concern, but the group was cooperative No one was allowed to remain in the center Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 2022. preference and location of relocated member. and Ethnicity: An Overview of World War II Japanese American Relocation Sites, Western
males were inducted directly into the U.S. Army. totaled, decreased and eventually determined through individual consultation with the section heads. Rowdyism, pranks, swearing, petty theft and juvenile vices are practically nil." Due to the large number of Japanese Americans detained there, these two camps were briefly ranked as the fifth- and sixth-largest towns in Arkansas. administion buildings. He organized group meetings at Jerome with other pro-Japanese inmates. Imahara, Walter M, and David E. Meltzer, ed. Having thousands of people live in such close proximity of each other caused sickness and disease on several occasions. various activities, and tournaments were held for the girls and boys
personnal, and to a certain extent, for the evacuees. Construction of the Jerome Relocation Center began on July 15, 1942, and it
"Soon there will be smoke from every chimney. It served two major purposes: (1) The block managers, upon whose cooperation the entire center depended, McVoy, Edgar C. "Social Process in the War Relocation Center". laundry building. Read our Privacy Policy. at the center of destination. Another service set up at the time of the second group's arrival was the installation of a social service field office right The Jerome site consisted of tax-delinquent lands situated in the marshy delta of the Mississippi River's flood plain that had been purchased in the 1930s by the Farm Security Administration. [1] Today, few remains of the camp are visible, as the wooden buildings were taken down. - NARA - 538885.jpg 3,000 2,371; 3.33 MB Jerome Relocation Center, Denson, Arkansas. Mitsuho Kimura was one of six members of a committee for evacuees who conferred with Director Paul Taylor that they would protest against the War Relocation Authority Evacuee Registration Program. In the first issue of the Jerome Communique; October 23, the project director took the opportunity to address an open letter to his "fellow residents", as follows: "We now have a population of more than 4000. At one point it held as many as 8,497 detainees. Open from October 1942 until June 1944,[1] it was the last relocation camp to open and the first to close; at one point it contained as many as 8,497 inhabitants. Special mention should be made of the The Jovial Peppers was a group of girls, ages 9 to 12. Although the shopping and amusement facilities were limited, they served as supplementary to center facilities for the administrative Other scuffles reportedly included a contractors guard who shot and
The 2004 PBS documentary film Time of Fear outlines this history of the camp and the similar camp in nearby Rohwer, Arkansas. While at the Jerome Relocation Center in Arkansas, he volunteered to serve in the U.S. Army's Military Intelligence Service (MIS). It was titled "What a Person Outside is Thinking". was unanimous, valuable and complete. Cots were provided for temporary care of the sick. The Block Managers accepted a great part of the job as their legitimate responsibility and proved Little Rock, AR. 18 miles south of McGehee and 120 miles southeast of Little Rock. shorthand and typing. Stating that it was the administration's desire to transfer each individual to the center of his preference and still keep Col. Scobey, executive to the Assistant Secretary of War, visited Jerome on March 4, 1943 to persuade eligible internees to enlist in the 442nd. For additional information: When a tribute gift is given the honoree will receive a letter acknowledging your generosity and a bookplate will be placed in a book. Jerome was able to grow 85 percent of its own
and the temperature averages in the middle thirties with occasional drops to 8-10 degrees below zero. Some riots ensued that also had origins in changes in working hours and an increase in prices at the canteen. Sometimes several families would share a one room home that did not provide enough room for even one family. When they had been completed, the files of each case were placed in a "Consideration At one point it held as many as 8,497 detainees. edited. stop remained at the town of Jerome. Rainfall from June 1943 through May 1944 was 44 inches. the people at Jerome answered question 28 positively, and of those, 52 eligible
east of the residential area. Located in Chicot County, Jerome began housing incarcerees who arrived by truck or train from the West Coast beginning in 1942. . All Rights Reserved. Girdner, Audrie and Loftis, Anne. Encyclopedia of Arkansas Kimura was born in Hawaii in 1919 and attended high school in Japan from 1932 to 1935. The Jerome Relocation Center was located in Chicot and Drew Counties, Arkansas, 18 miles south of McGehee and 120 miles southeast of Little Rock. Vickers, Ruth Petway, "Japanese-American Relocation," Arkansas
vegetables. Some men whose English was more limited had trouble interpreting them; other understood enough to be offended. Many answered "yes" to both
Baggage was to be The Jerome War Relocation Center, located in Arkansas in southern United States, was opened in Sep 1942 to house Americans of Japanese ethnicity. center newspaper.16 A 1941 honors journalism graduate from the Uni-versity of Southern California, Yokota had been a publications super-visor there and was news editor for the Santa Anita Pacema\er, that assembly center's high quality newspaper.17 Third, Jerome Relocation Center was the last center to open and the first relocation center to close, An effort was made to house them (Details of this operation may be found The Jerome War Relocation Center was a Japanese American internment camp located in southeastern Arkansas near the town of Jerome. 12 buildings, the administration area had 18 buildings, the warehouse area had
The evacuees found themselves in the midst of the Mississippi River delta
The POWs were confined to the central area and did not work in the
It was one of two American concentration camps in the Arkansas Delta, the other being at Rohwer, 27 miles (43km) north of Jerome. lands, Jerome Relocation Center was in the middle of heavily wooded swampland,
on one of the lists could take it for granted that he was going to Gila River; that any individual who felt that he had not 72201. had never been allowed to carry out the drainage program which had been part of the original plan to make the land useful have been shipped. Today rice and soybean fields and fish farms
The following is a tabulation of car loadings forwarded between June 2 and 15. from the central San Joaquin Valley and San Pedro Bay in California, and Hawaii. It was probably the most thoughtful and welcome reception that could have been arranged. "Freedom of Press behind Barbed Wire: Paul Yokota and the Jerome Relocation Center Newspaper". The Jovial Peppers was a group of girls, ages 9 to 12. The only entrances were from the gay main highway on the west and on the back of the camp to the east. information; attached the preference sheet to a copy of the official notice, together with other pertinent information; and Recreation and sports were very popular. combat duty, wherever ordered?" The committee then completed the four center lists with names of persons from this folder, but Figure 2 Rohwer Relocation Center, McGehee, Arkansas. Lillian, a seventh-grader at Wai'anae in 1943 who continued studies at Jerome and Amache, graduated high school in Honolulu in 1947. At one point it held as many as 8,497 detainees. The Phi Beta Society consisted of a group of young women whose main purpose was improving their cultural background. The camp was
After the camp was closed, it was converted into a German Prisoner of War
Two of the selected sites were located in the Arkansas Delta, one at Rohwer in Desha County--which operated from September 18, 1942-November 30, 1945--and the other at Jerome in sections of Chicot and Drew counties--which operated from October 6, 1942-June 30, 1944. possible to complie during the very busy closing period of the center's life. acres by the following year. Because of injunctions held by adjacent property owners, the government was built from the siding through the boundary fence and into the warehouse. At first an attempt was made to serve hot drinks at warehouse 12, but it was decided that the serving process slowed Paul A. Taylor . Sixty-six percent were American citizens, and the remainder were "aliens". maid and firetending jobs to be filled. of lists filling each quota within about 90 percent of the limit. instructions as to date and hour of departure, where he would be picked up for transfer to the train and identity of the car This list was checked in the as soon as possible. Jerome Klapka Jerome was born in England on May 2, 1859 into the family of ruined businessman . To complicate matters, rumors and false press reporting leaked out to the
Once Tule Lake became a segregation center, the population came from all five western The third group was comprised mostly of fisherman and their families from the Kakaako district near Honolulu, Last glimpse of the Jerome Center as res . With the Life was difficult at Jerome for a somewhat different set of reasons than the Today the site is mostly used as farmland, although a monument marks the former camp. complete the form whether or not they were actually planning to leave the camp. $1350 was raised and a truck load of clothing for the Hawaiian youngsters was collected. the time it was established during the summer of 1942 until its evacuee residents had left and the project had been officially After Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, and America's subsequent declaration of war and entry into World War II, President Franklin D. The Army engineers are doing everything in their power to rush delivery. Can you list the top facts and stats about Jerome War Relocation Center? of lumber and 6,000 cords of firewood from the cleared trees. on the entire process. One of the appointed personnel helped the people who had been registered Basketball drew the most attention from sports lovers. Sports consisted of basketball, weightlifting, boxing, wrestling, and volleyball. 781 evacuees in the group registered by writing across the face of the registration form that they wanted to be repatriated or expatriated to Japan. By October 14, information sheets were available to provide newcomers with general center policies, and basic of sandy soil, lying just east of the Missouri Pacific Railway lines, was selected for the location of living quarters and But the Denson Tribune reported on June 11, 1944 that the "camp was free from juvenile delinquency () young girls and boys are well-behaved, well disciplined, well-trained, well-taught, and well led. War Relocation Centers (U.S. National Park Service) Article War Relocation Centers Manzanar National Historic Site, Minidoka National Historic Site, Tule Lake National Monument Image of "War Relocation Centers" and their peak populations. residential blocks was widely known as good duck shooting ground. blocks before the manifest was prepared. The blocks were arranged on a north-south
Open from October 6, 1942, until June 30, 1944, it was the last American concentration camp to open and the first to close. Boilermen of block 45, at the time the first Hawaiian group arrived, prepared a special hot bath for them - the Life Interrupted: The Japanese American Experience in WWII Arkansas. There's thousands of excellent places to visit in Germany, some real "hidden gems", many really not, but Erfurt is certainly an excellent place to visit. for a resettlement project in 1937. at a specific office, and only through his own block manager, within 24 hours following release of the list. Open from October 1942 until June 1944, [1] it was the last relocation camp to open and the first to close; at one point it contained as many as 8,497 inhabitants. of the bills of lading, one 156 being retained in the files. A 10-foot (3.0m) high granite monument marks the camp location and history. It
"Life inside Arkansas: Japanese American Relocation Centers". The Online Archive of California is a service of the. [4], Jerome was divided into 50 blocks, which were surrounded by a barbed wire fence, a patrol road, and seven watchtowers. Classes such as
materially changing the procedural methods presently set up for compilation of similar reports. The Japanese American population, of which sixty-four percent were American citizens, had been forcibly removed from the West Coast under the doctrine of military necessity and incarcerated in ten relocation camps dispersed throughout the inner mountain states and Arkansas. One of two War Relocation Authority (WRA) administered concentration camps located less than thirty miles from each other in southeastern Arkansas, Jerome had the distinction of being the last to open and the first to close and was open for less than twenty-one months, far shorter than any other WRA camp. In separate incidents on March 6, 1943, two men seen as administration collaborators were beaten by inmates. Most prisoners had lived in Los Angeles or farmed in and around Fresno and Sacramento before the war, but some ten percent of Jerome's population was relocated from Hawai'i. Frost dates run from about the last week in November through the month of March, https://archive.org/details/010114Jerome_201710 (accessed February 26, 2021). At first it was planned to induct arrivals at Its 9,374 acres, located in Chicot and Drew Counties, lay between U.S. The result is a compromise between what was desirable and what it was caused deep confusion and resentment among the internees, who were required to
The determination process now faced four major difficulties: At this time, which as is indicated by Mr. Pitts, was perhaps two weeks later than what would have been prefererable, final Meals and sleep were interrupted; vigil for late trains had to be Additional support provided by the Arkansas General Assembly. two years attempting to develop the land for agriculture, until the United States Farm Security Administration purchased it Jerome Farms under terms of its lease to the property. digging ditches and building bridges. The constant movement of camp populations makes completely accurate statistics difficult. Winters are long and cold and summers hot and dry. Many were confused by the questions' wording, unsure if an affirmative answer to the second would be taken as an admission of previous disloyalty and a threat to their families. Before an official notice was mailed this office Too many period and technical reports have been substituted where time and clerical service did not permit proper A sample of such instruction sheets, dated October 14, is attached. kept currently advised as to all particulars, in the field of transfer destination and in all the other activities incident Japanese. Its headquarters were located in block 14 the first I know that I can count on your continued cooperation. Rohwer Relocation Center was one of only two confinement sites located in the eastern half of the U.S. In January 1944, influenza spread throughout the camp for several months. to transfer operations. Due to questions about their loyalty due to answers to the confusing loyalty questionnaire, many Japanese American male inmates had already been transferred to the Tule Lake segregation camp in California. The compound eventually became nearly 500 acres of tarpapered, A-framed buildings arranged into specifically numbered blocks. The project director of Jerome was Paul A. Taylor until the last few months of the camps operation. miles apart. Altadena, CA: Raymond Press, 2020. in moving their own property. accompany members of his family to Rohwer on the day they were scheduled to move. He said that he would not fight in the United States Army under any conditions, but would readily fight in the Japanese Army against the United States. Although the registration process caused riots and trouble in the camp, the Denson Tribune reported on June 11, 1944 that the "camp was free from juvenile delinquency () young girls and boys are well-behaved, well disciplined, well-trained, well-taught, and well led. could locate its belongings. for long term settlement. solution of the problem. Construction of the Jerome Relocation Center began on July 15, 1942, and it was the last of the ten camps to be opened on October 6, 1942. rainfalls during the winter and spring, and in the summer there Macmillan, 1969. Open from October 6, 1942, until June 30, 1944, it was the last relocation camp to open and the first to close, and at one point it held as many as 8,497 inhabitants. The barracks community, occupying one square mile, was situated on the west border according to need to the Hawaiians. . The Jerome War Relocation Camp was located in Southeast Arkansas in Chicot and Drew counties. Development of extensive drainage facilities was necessary to make the site livable or tillable. . he had solicited, and received a $100 fine and a year in prison. information concerning their immediate needs. The second asked all respondents if they "would disavow their allegiance to Japan", but most had no allegiance to that country. (For schedule of arrivals, see statistical reports. Anderson, William G. Early Reaction in Arkansas to the Relocation of Japanese in the State. Arkansas Historical Quarterly 23 (Autumn 1964): 196211. to the closing. There was no such thing as regular working hours. investigation, but the claim proved to be untrue. The railroad constructed a spur for freight loading and unloading, but the passenger [1] checked by a medical officer. The Evacuee Property Office had the responsibility for moving all freight and baggage in connection with closing the center. On the first Saturday after the Tuleans arrived the issei department of the community activities section gave a Military Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. on to the trucks from the forms 156. 53 reviews. the camps before the end of the war, the population among all the relocation
Other clubs included Cub Scouts and the Double X's. employee of the Jerome contractors tore the coat off one of two Japanese girls
Open from October 6, 1942, until June 30, 1944, it was the last American concentration camp to open and the first to close. A recreation area was provided for
In one match noted as an "annihilation", the Shamrocks defeated the Commandos 19-2. While most of the other relocation camps were built on barren, windswept
http://ualr.edu/lifeinterrupted-2race/ (accessed January 8, 2021). of destination. From that day until the center was vacated, the cooperation of the residents [1] After closing, it was converted into a holding camp for German prisoners of war. On December 21, 2006 President George W. Bush signed H.R. in the Arkansas General Assembly that, in part, prevented Japanese people from
As each block was occupied, the residents were asked to The interviewing process enabled them to demonstrate the fact that they were 781 evacuees in the group registered by writing across the face of the registration form that they wanted to be repatriated or expatriated to Japan. Fourteen percent were over the age of sixty, and there were 2,483 school age children in the camp, thirty-one percent of the total population. Life Inside Arkansass Japanese American Relocation Centers. Arkansas Historical Quarterly 48 (Summer 1989): 169196. appeared. They were The smokestack from the hospital incinerator still stands. quarters and explained the location of various facilities, answered questions, and in general initiated them to the block Three of these lists, (the Gila River list was withheld) prepared by blocks, were released to the interested block managers departure. The next step was organizing for each train movement as soon as train lists were received. Background: The Jerome Relocation Center was constructed in 1942 on approximately 500 acres in Drew and Chicot counties in southeastern Arkansas. The cooperation of the evacuee in handling their freight and baggage was excellent. Pre-European Exploration, Prehistory through 1540, European Exploration and Settlement, 1541 through 1802, Louisiana Purchase through Early Statehood, 1803 through 1860, Civil War through Reconstruction, 1861 through 1874, Post-Reconstruction through the Gilded Age, 1875 through 1900, Early Twentieth Century, 1901 through 1940, World War II through the Faubus Era, 1941 through 1967, Divergent Prosperity and the Arc of Reform, 19682022, https://archive.org/details/010114Jerome_201710, https://uca.edu/archives/m87-06-maude-h-boen-collection/, http://rohwer.astate.edu/plan-your-visit/museum/, World War II through the Faubus Era (1941 - 1967). The marker is located on US Highway 165, at County Road 210, approximately 8 miles south of Dermott, Arkansas. 1492 into law authorizing $38,000,000 in federal money to preserve the Jerome relocation center, along with nine other former Japanese internment camps.[3]. FAMILY MEMBER TO ENTER SERVICE SOON, including only those with Certificates of Physical Fitness for Service (family member The internment camp was consisted of 50 housing blocks and 7 guard towers, surrounded by barbed wire fencing. The government had parcelled it out into 49 family units of 40 acres close on June 30, 1944. last stoves were not installed until the middle of December, the evacuee and appointed personnel alike displayed a remarkable Both camps were served by the same rail line. However, many did not want to leave without the guarantees of food and a place to stay. This page was last edited on 5 July 2023, at 02:29. made it necessary for them to use whatever evacuee facilities were most convenient. Concerned with the financial problem facing the Hawaiian group, the first The Jerome War Relocation Center was a Japanese American internment camp located in southeastern Arkansas near the town of Jerome. supervisor was with them, but the farmer claimed that he thought the supervisor
It had become obvious that family heads, in preparing their preference sheets, had not been thoroughly acquainted with the The compound eventually became nearly 500 acres of tarpapered, A-framed buildings arranged into specifically numbered blocks. attempt to farm this area several years later resulted in bankruptcy. The remainder of the prisoners were sent to Rohwer in Arkansas and the Gila River War Relocation Center in Arizona, constructed on the Pima/Maricopa reservation.[2]. Eli B. Whitaker, former regional director of both camps in Arkansas, assumed duties as project director when Taylor took a higher position in the WRA. The majority of the first group which arrived were from the city of Honolulu where they had been professional people, clerks The camp itself was partially surrounded by barbed wire or heavily wooded areas with guard towers situated at strategic areas and guarded by a small contingent of military soldiers. It was one of two relocation centers in Arkansas, the other being at Rohwer, 27 miles (43km) north of Jerome. They forced the "evacuation" of 120,000 Japanese Americans; whole families were rounded up and deported to concentration camps newly constructed in isolated areas of the country's interior. block to be occupied, and from that time on it was moved about the center as different areas were completed and occupied. These camps became popular destinations for 442nd soldiers on leave. The appointed personnel checker went as directed by the evacuee supervisor to the blocks in his district and checked the freight Jeromes population reached 8,497 in November 1942. Niiya, Brian. A local farmer on horseback came across three Japanese
A patient with a toothache being examined in a temporar . Another drawback to was that the process of getting a leave clearance was slow, causing some to lose interest. The committee refused to register because they were loyal to Japan. The center was seven miles south of the town of Dermott, Historical. The Jerome Relocation Center was in operation for a total of 634 days which was the fewest of any of the relocation camps. Folder," together with the files . The relocation center was named after the town of Jerome, which was located Pacific Railroad. A third copy of the official notice of destination was sent to the office which directed handling of freight and baggage, There were no reports of vandalism. Anthropology 74, 1999. barracks, a recreation building, a mess hall, and a combined bathroom and
VHS, DVD. Sata, Frank T., with Naomi Hirahara. The most famous his work is a humorous travelogue Three Men in a Boat . Donations made to the CALS Foundation are tax-deductible for United States federal income tax purposes. auditorium was completed in June 1944. Jerome was the only site that reported shootings of
The camp was closed at the end of June 1944 and adapted as a German prisoner-of-war camp, renamed as Camp Dermott. The Processing be corrected and borderline cases investigated and considered further; that later determinations were the responsibility of