Pomona Assembly Center facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pomona Assembly CenterCamp Pomona Pomona Ordnance Depot |
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Construction of the Pomona Assembly Center (April 8, 1942)
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| Built | 1942 |
| Designated | May 13, 1980 |
| Reference no. | 934.04 |
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The Pomona Assembly Center was one of the places where Japanese Americans were held during World War II. It was a temporary camp, meaning people stayed there for a short time before being moved to larger, more permanent camps. Today, the Pomona Assembly Center is recognized as a California Historical Landmark (No. 934.04). It is located at what is now known as the Fairplex in Pomona, California, within Los Angeles County. In 1942, this area was called the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds.
Why Camps Were Built
After the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the United States entered World War II. Some people worried that Japanese Americans might not be loyal to the U.S. Because of these fears, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942. This order allowed the military to create special zones and move people out of them. This led to the forced relocation and detention of many Japanese Americans, and some German and Italian Americans, into special camps.
The Los Angeles County Fairgrounds was chosen as one of these temporary detention sites. Another camp in Los Angeles County was the Santa Anita Assembly Center at the Santa Anita Racetrack. Both of these sites are now California Historic Landmarks.
Life at Pomona Assembly Center
Construction of the Pomona Assembly Center began on March 21, 1942. The camp officially opened its doors on May 7, 1942. It had 309 barracks (simple living quarters), 8 mess halls (dining areas), and 36 shower and restroom facilities.
The first group of 72 Japanese American citizens arrived on May 9. By May 15, 1942, the Pomona site was almost full, holding 4,270 people. The camp reached its highest population of 5,434 people before it closed on August 24, 1942. Most of the people held at Pomona were then moved to Heart Mountain Relocation Center in Wyoming.
In California, 13 temporary detention facilities were built. These camps were often set up in large places that could be easily secured, like fairgrounds or horse racing tracks. They were used to hold Japanese Americans while larger, more permanent camps were being built in isolated areas. In California, two of these permanent camps were Manzanar and Camp Tulelake.
Executive Order 9066 meant that all Americans born in Japan or with Japanese family, as well as long-time legal residents of Japanese ancestry living in California, had to report for detention. In total, 97,785 Californians of Japanese ancestry were held in these camps until the war ended in 1945.
Pomona Ordnance Depot
After the last person left the Pomona Assembly Center on August 24, 1942, the site changed its purpose. On September 4, 1942, it became the Pomona Ordnance Depot. It was also known as the Pomona Ordnance Base or Camp Pomona.
This depot was used by the U.S. Army to store huge amounts of supplies. These supplies were needed for the Desert Training Centers, which were military training areas in California and Arizona. A prisoner of war (POW) camp was also built at the depot. This camp held 1,150 POWs, who volunteered to work at the depot. The site also had various training schools, including the Ordnance Motor Transport School, where 3,000 troops were trained. Italian Service Units, made up of Italian POWs who chose to help the Allied war effort, also worked at the Pomona Ordnance Depot. Today, the site serves as the Fairplex parking lot.
