Minidoka National Historical Site

Community Preservation


HISTORICAL PRESERVATION

Minidoka National Historical Site

During World War II, over 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry were forcibly interned in remote, military-style camps set up by the U.S. government. Minidoka was one of the ten Japanese internment camps operating in World War II under Executive Order 9066, located in Jerome County, Idaho in a remote high desert area. The concentration camp site was established as a national historical monument in 2001 and as a national historical site in 2008.

Recently, there have been plans to run power lines through this historic site. While JACL recognizes that a power line could bring much needed energy to the citizens of Idaho and Nevada, we also advocate caution when dealing with such a historic site. JACL urges Secretary Ken Salazar of the United States Department of Interior and members of Congress to revise plans for the power line. The Minidoka National Historic Site serves not only as a historical landmark but as a crucial reminder to all Americans of how fragile our Constitution can be in times of crisis, and that we must be vigilant and true to the principles of our nation so that this episode is never repeated.

Wakamatsu Preservation Act

In 1869, seven Japanese citizens sailed to California to found the Wakamatsu Tea and Silk Colony. This site is recognized by the state of California and the JACL as the first Japanese settlement in the United States. It is considered the location that brought together Japanese and American cultures, and established California as the gateway for Pacific immigration into the U.S.

On May 19, 2010, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a hearing on S. 1596, the Gold-Hill Wakamatsu Preservation Act. The act aims to preserve the location of the first Japanese American settlement. What makes this act even more pressing is that the Veerkamp family, which has maintained the land since 1875, wants to sell it. JACL believes federal acquisition of the land would help preserve this important landmark.

Please read complete article at link below:

http://www.jacl.org/public_policy/community.htm

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