The Amache watertower is a symbol of its resilience and self-sufficiency, functioning like a city, with its own water, power, and sewage systems.
Stop 8 Audio
Transcript
When nearly 7,000 Japanese Americans arrived here in 1942, Amache was suddenly the 10th largest city in Colorado! Although our city was only one square mile, and surrounded by barbed wire, we still needed an infrastructure like any other city in order to have our most basic needs met. Electric poles, a sewer system, and most importantly, a water tank, provided us with the bare minimum. We only had one light bulb and electrical outlet in our barrack apartments. And as impressive as the huge water tower that loomed above us was, it only delivered water to the bathhouses, laundry rooms and mess halls. We did not have running water in our barracks.
As you leave Amache, look for the water tower. It was, and still is a landmark that defines this place. All the buildings at Amache looked the same so we would use the water tower to help us find our way around camp.
After Amache closed, the water tower was taken apart and sold. High school students with the Amache Preservation Society helped track down the original water tank which had been at a nearby ranch for decades. In 2012, community partners worked together to bring the tower back to where it once stood, making it a landmark once again.
DRIVING DIRECTIONS: Continue driving north on this road and turn left (west) at the next street. Continue for about 0.4 miles until you reach a T. There, make a left. Continue for a tenth of a mile and then make a right. Follow this road about a quarter of a mile to the Amache Cemetery. This will be Stop #9.