Gila River War Relocation Center facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gila River Relocation Center
School children participating in the Harvest Festival Parade
Location in Pinal County and the state of Arizona
Gila River War Relocation Center Location in the United States
Country	United States
County	Pinal
Area
• Total	2.4 sq mi (6.1 km2)
• Land	2.4 sq mi (6.2 km2)
Time zone	UTC-7 (MST (no DST))

The Gila River War Relocation Center was a place in Arizona where Japanese Americans were held during World War II. It was one of several camps built by the War Relocation Authority (WRA). These camps were for people of Japanese descent who were forced to leave their homes on the West Coast of the United States.

The Gila River camp was located on the Gila River Indian Reservation, about 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Phoenix. The local Pima Indian government did not want the camp built there. At its busiest, Gila River became the fourth-largest city in Arizona, with over 13,000 people living there. It operated from May 1942 to November 1945.

Why Japanese Americans Were Sent to Camps

After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the United States entered World War II. Some people worried about the large Japanese American population on the West Coast. They feared these citizens might help the enemy.

Because of these fears, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066. This order allowed the military to create special areas where people could be held if they were seen as a threat. While the order did not name Japanese Americans directly, it was clear they were the target.

The government quickly built these camps. The living spaces looked like military barracks. They were often very small and crowded for families.

Forced Removal and Losses

From April to May 1942, Japanese Americans were forced to leave their homes and businesses in California, Oregon, Washington, and Arizona. Families had less than a week to get their lives in order. Many had to sell their homes and businesses very quickly for much less than they were worth.

After the war, many Japanese Americans had to start over from nothing. In the 1980s, the U.S. government admitted that this forced removal was wrong. Congress passed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. This law included an official apology and money for the people who had been held in the camps. In total, about 119,000 Americans of Japanese descent were held in these camps during World War II.

History of Gila River Camp

The Gila River War Relocation Center was one of ten such camps in the western United States. It was one of two camps in Arizona, the other being Poston War Relocation Center. Most camps, including Gila River, were built in isolated desert areas.

Construction of Gila River began on May 1, 1942. The camp officially opened on July 20, 1942. It was divided into two separate areas called 'Canal' and 'Butte'. Canal Camp closed on September 28, 1945, and Butte Camp closed on November 10, 1945. The entire Gila River Relocation Center officially shut down on November 16, 1945.

Most people sent to Gila River came from California cities like Fresno, Sacramento, and Los Angeles. Later, about 2,000 people from the Jerome War Relocation Center in Arkansas moved to Gila River when that camp closed in 1944.

Some people died on their way to Gila River or soon after arriving because of the harsh desert conditions. One person who died was the mother of Iva Toguri D'Aquino. Iva Toguri was an American woman of Japanese descent who later broadcast for Japan. She was wrongly accused of treason and called "Tokyo Rose".

Canal Camp Monument

Life at Gila River

Gila River was seen as one of the less harsh camps. It had only one watchtower, and its fences were among the few that did not have barbed wire. The camp administrators seemed to care for the people held there. They even allowed them to visit nearby Phoenix.

Gila River was one of the first camps to have a local "democratic" government run by the internees. However, only Nisei (second-generation U.S. born Japanese Americans) could hold leadership roles. The camp also encouraged fun activities like sports and arts. Butte camp had a large 6,000-seat baseball field. It was designed by a professional baseball player named Kenichi Zenimura and was considered the best in the WRA system.

The people in the camp also built a theater for plays and movies. They made playgrounds and planted trees to make the desert area feel less empty. Gila River also had a shared medical facility called Butte Hospital.

Camp Buildings and Challenges

Canal Camp had 404 buildings, including 232 barracks and 24 schoolhouses. Butte Camp had 821 buildings, with 627 barracks for living. These barracks were made of wood and fireproof shingles. However, these materials did not do a great job of keeping out the desert heat.

Each barrack was meant to house four single families in separate apartments. But the camp was very crowded. It was designed for 10,000 people but held over 13,000. Because of this, some families had to live in the mess hall or recreation buildings. They used blankets to create makeshift walls for privacy.

The camp also had problems with water shortages. People living there sometimes got bitten by poisonous rattlesnakes and scorpions. These bites kept Butte Hospital very busy.

Remembering the Past

The land where the camps were built belongs to the Gila River Indian Tribe. They consider the land sacred and have limited public access to the historic sites. Most of the original buildings are gone now. What remains are things like the old road layout, concrete foundations, manholes, and small ponds.

In 2006, President George W. Bush signed a law to provide $38 million in federal money. This money was meant to help restore the Gila River relocation center and nine other former camps. This was part of the government's effort to acknowledge the injustice done to Japanese Americans.

Notable People Held at Gila River

Ruins of the buildings in the Gila River War Relocation Center of Camp Butte

Many interesting people were held at the Gila River camp. Here are a few:

• George Aratani (1917–2013), a successful business owner and generous giver to charities.
• Harry K. Fukuhara (1920–2015), honored in the United States Military Intelligence Hall of Fame.
• Evelyn Nakano Glenn (born 1940), a well-known professor who studies gender and ethnic groups.
• Masumi Hayashi (1945-2006), an American photographer and artist.
• George Hoshida (1907–1985), a Japanese American artist who drew pictures of his experiences in the camps.
• Yuriko Kikuchi (born 1920), an American dancer and choreographer.
• Noriyuki "Pat" Morita (1932–2005), an American actor famous for his roles in Happy Days and Karate Kid movies.
• Kazuo Otani (1918–1944), a brave United States Army soldier who received the Medal of Honor.
• Paul Terasaki (1929–2016), a scientist who studied organ transplants and was a professor at UCLA School of Medicine.
• Michi Nishiura Weglyn (1926–1999), an author who wrote an important book about America’s concentration camps.
• Kenichi Zenimura (1900–1968), a baseball player and manager who helped build the camp's baseball field.

Gallery

Images for kids

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  First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and Dillon S. Myer, director of the War Relocation Authority, visit the Gila River War Relocation Center (April 23, 1943)

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  Plaque at Gila River Memorial