Start your journey through Amache, where over 10,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated during WWII.
Stop 1 Audio
Transcript
Welcome to Amache National Historic Site. Between 1942 and 1945, this was one of ten incarceration sites located in the interior of the United States that held over 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry, most of them American citizens, who were forcibly removed from their homes on the West Coast. Over 10,000 people passed through this site during its three years of operation. At its peak population in 1943, Amache housed 7,310 people, making it one of the most populous places in Colorado at the time.
Bounded by barbed wire, the one square mile stretching out before you to the south marks the confines where incarcerees were forced to live for over three years. The 15 square mile livestock and agricultural operation that employed many of the incarcerees spreads north from where you are standing to the Arkansas River three miles away.
At first glance, it appears as if the Amache landscape has completely reverted back to the dusty, sage filled high desert environment that existed before the camp was built, but the incarcerees’ influence on the land, tangible remains of their daily lives, and evidence of life in confinement still exist throughout the camp today. This tour will offer you a chance to explore these remnants of the past and learn more about the everyday lives of the people who lived here as they were forced to confront the daily challenges of life behind barbed wire.
This driving tour will lead you to different spots throughout the camp, marked by wayside panels, and will include stories and perspectives that help shed light on what life was like in Amache.
From the driving tour’s starting point in the kiosk parking lot there is also a walking interpretive trail. This trail leads to a monument that commemorates Amache’s 2006 designation as a National Historic Landmark. The trail travels through a part of the camp where the administration buildings were located. This included the project director’s office and offices for administrative maintenance, community maintenance, and operations. The War Relocation Authority, known as the WRA, was the administrative body appointed by the government to run the camps. The WRA staff housing was also in this area. The military police area and the staff mess hall were across the street.
DRIVING DIRECTIONS: To begin the driving tour, turn right out of the parking lot, and head south down the main road. You will arrive at Stop #2 in approximately 0.35 miles.