Annual Amache Pilgrimage was May 17-19, 2024
Pilgrimages to former WWII concentration camps for those of Japanese descent were started in the late 1960s. It took nearly a quarter century for former prisoners and their descendants to question why they had been imprisoned and begin searching for answers. The first formal pilgrimage to Amache was one of the official events commemorating the state of Colorado’s centennial from 1975-76. After pilgrims arrived at Amache, they cleaned the cemetery site. Learn more on the Pilgrimage History page.
The one-day annual Amache Pilgrimage usually takes place on the Saturday before Memorial Day weekend, which this year was May 18, 2024. Nikkeijin Kai of Colorado and Amache Preservation Society coordinated the original Pilgrimage memorial services and potluck lunch much as they have been held for over 40 years for pilgrims coming from Denver for a one-day Pilgrimage.
Due to increased interest in Amache becoming a National Historic Site, in 2023 Amache Alliance, the University of Denver Amache Project, National Parks Conservation Association, and Colorado Preservation Inc., and Sand Creek Massacre Foundation provided additional weekend events for people who had their own transportation and desired to learn more about the Amache site and its community. This year, additional weekend events were again offered on Friday May 17, and Sunday May 19 for people who had their own transportation and desired to learn more about the Amache site and its community.
View the Pilgrimage one-page flyer, or the full program, or scroll down to see the full schedules.
Schedule of Events
Friday May 17
| 3:00 PM | NPS Amache National Historic Site Ribbon Cutting Celebration |
| 4:30 PM | Amache Site Tours, “Uncovering Amache” |
Saturday May 18
| 9:00 AM | Guided Family Barracks Tour |
| 11:00 AM | Pilgrimage Memorial Ceremony at the Amache Cemetery |
| 12:30 PM | Pilgrimage Potluck Lunch at Granada High School |
| 2:00 PM | Guided Family Barracks Tour |
| 3:30 PM | Help shape the future of Amache exhibits |
| 5:00 PM | Dinner by Shorty’s Cafe at the historic Newman’s Drugs building in Granada – 1st seating |
| 6:30 PM | Dinner by Shorty’s Cafe at the historic Newman’s Drugs building in Granada – 2nd seating |
Sunday May 19
| 9:00 AM | Meet at Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site for a guided tour, approximately 1 hour northwest of Amache or northeast of Lamar |
Recent News Coverage
2024 Pilgrimage weekend
- Kiowa County Independent: Annual Amache Pilgrimage Featured the Newest National Park in Southeastern Colorado.
- Rocky Mountain PBS: Amache Rose blooms for the first time at the Denver Botanical Gardens.
- CBS Colorado: Amache Roses bloom, recalling Colorado’s Japanese-American concentration camp.
- CPR news: Roses from Camp Amache just bloomed at Denver Botanic Gardens.
- NBC Nightly News: Former Japanese internment camp becomes country’s newest national historic site.
- 9news: Dedication ceremony held for Amache National Historic Site.
2023 Pilgrimage weekend
Colorado Sun: Descendants of two government-sanctioned atrocities gather in Colorado, bond over “shared identity”
The 2023 Pilgrimage included an exchange with Sand Creek Massacre descendants. Read more in an article in the Colorado Sun.
2022 Pilgrimage
9News: Survivors, descendants and families make pilgrimage to Amache
9News.com attended the Pilgrimage and produced a 30 minute special “Injustice Forever: the Story of Amache”, which aired on Sunday June 26, 2022. It tells the story of Amache and what will likely to happen to the site once the National Park Service is running it. View the 2:50 minute overview video on 9News.com, or watch the full special.
9News: Pilgrimage to Amache Returns
9News.com also interviewed Derek Okubo, Director of the Denver Agency for Human Rights and Amache descendant. View the 5 minute video on 9News.com.
Colorado Public Radio: The Camp Amache rose is blooming. Here’s what it looks like
A rose bush planted by Amache incarcerees was witnessed blooming for the first time in almost 80 years at the Pilgrimage. Learn more about the discovery of the Amache rose, propagation of cuttings at the Denver Botanic Gardens, and view footage of the bloom on CPR news.
The Prowers Journal: Historic Amache Pilgrimage
Read a brief overview of the main Pilgrimage events by The Prowers Journal.
KRDO: Remembering Amache, the story of Colorado’s WWII Japanese internment camp
KRDO produced a short video and StoryMap of the Pilgrimage, featuring an interviews with Amache survivor Bob Fuchigami and APS lead John Hopper.