We all know what happened at Pearl Harbor, HI on this date in 1941; the events of that day were a major catalyst in the United States’ involvement in World War II. As a result of the Japanese bombing at the US Air Base in Hawaii, a hysteria ensued and widespread distrust of Japanese-American citizens traveled across the country, leading to our government sequestering them in “internment camps” at various locations throughout the western US. Its amazing–almost unbelievable–what hysteria, distrust, and fear can lead people to do.
This memorial, made famous by Ansel Adams, marks the cemetary at the relocation camp at Manzanar, near Lone Pine, California, on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada. Mt. Williamson is in the background.
Monumental, October 2010
Love this image, but I wish it didn’t represent such a sad and embarrassing time in our history. The Topaz Relocation Camp west of Delta, UT, is not too far away from me. About the only reminders of the camp’s history are old building foundations and glass shards. A flag and a descriptive plaque mark the location.
Amazing shot, Greg. I went to the Japanese American museum in downtown LA recently and they had a lot of photos of the different internment camps for Japanese-Americans. Very sad stuff.
That is a powerful photograph, Greg. What a great sky and the angle you chose for the rest makes it. Don’t forget the photographs that Dorothea Lange made at Manzanar. She was probably just as responsible for making that camp famous with her stark portrayals of its people. My mom and dad took a class at UC Berkeley together when they first got to know each other, from the famous Japanese painter Chiura Obata who told the class many stories of his time at Manzanar. Dad many years later would tear up when the subject was mentioned.
Love it! I’m struck by the stark beauty of the monument, but also just how alone it is. Symbolic of how we would love nothing more than to forget that time, and thus have worked our best to ignore it.
Thanks for all the comments! I feel that this image has a very lovely sorrow to it, if that makes any sense.
David, I love Chiura Obata’s work, and really was appreciative of the attention they gave to him in the Ken Burns PBS National Park special last spring. He really was an artist with a profound sense of place, and it showed through in what he did.
I’ve been to Manzanar a few times now, but I’ve only been able to walk through the visitor center once…its really too emotional for me.
Beautifully done photo, and a good reminder of a dark period in our country’s history.
Lovely image Greg and very timely tie-in to Dec 7th. I’ve visited Manzanar many times (and recently donated an original 1941 LA Times front page for their exhibit). It is a sad time in our history, but the NHS has created a beautiful and engaging visitor center that I encourage everyone to visit. As with the holocaust – we must never forget.