The Conditions of the Camp
At the camp, internees met economic losses, trauma, and their morals being challenged. Conditions within the camp were as unstable as they were intolerable. Thousands of families were separated or cramped into 15 remote detention camps. By October 1942, all inmates were transferred to from temporary detention camps to ten permanent camps under the control of the Department of the Inferior. They had tricked the Japanese into believing that these were resettlement communities not prisons.
The camps were isolated inland in vast sandy deserts or swamp lands that held dust storms, cold winters, and hot summers which the internees were not accustomed to. The heat of some locations was beyond bearable and was mixed with dust. An anonymous internee remembers: "Inside of our houses, in the laundry, in the latrines, in the mess halls, dust and more dust, dust everywhere." Winters were equally difficult as some locations reached to 30 degrees below zero. Residents banked the earth against their barracks to block the icy winds. The internees weren’t “told of their ultimate destinations, and as a result, many failed to pack clothing that would have been appropriate for the bitter desert winters” ( The Oregon State Archive Staff).
The camps were isolated inland in vast sandy deserts or swamp lands that held dust storms, cold winters, and hot summers which the internees were not accustomed to. The heat of some locations was beyond bearable and was mixed with dust. An anonymous internee remembers: "Inside of our houses, in the laundry, in the latrines, in the mess halls, dust and more dust, dust everywhere." Winters were equally difficult as some locations reached to 30 degrees below zero. Residents banked the earth against their barracks to block the icy winds. The internees weren’t “told of their ultimate destinations, and as a result, many failed to pack clothing that would have been appropriate for the bitter desert winters” ( The Oregon State Archive Staff).
All of the camps were secure, with watch towers and barbed wires. Police men circled the camps at all times and were divided at each section. Small civilian Japanese force headed by Caucasian men with police experience and other captains kept order. Outside the gates were the military, guarding the boundaries to stop serious disturbances. The police and “government” inside the camp only dealt with small crimes and were handled by judicial commissions of residents. Big cases were held outside these courts.
The internees had to live in horse stalls in unsanitary conditions with open sewers and in poorly built barracks. The barracks were only crowded single rooms with cots, blankets, and a pot-bellied stove. The internees soon found scraps of lumber and other materials to create more accommodations and hung up posters and curtains. An unnamed internee remembered “how her brother salvaged wood from the camp's scrap lumber pile to build a dresser attached to the wall studs: ‘Now each member of the family had one drawer for clothes.’ Then her brother built two standing wood frames for their mother to cover with cloth to serve as room dividers. These improved life because ‘we had a semblance of privacy now for dressing and sleeping.’” However coal was a very rare source to find, so internees slept cold with as many blankets as they could. There was also no privacy provided from the partitions, as one internee at Manzanar, California remembered that "They used cheap pine wood. The knots would fall off so we could see in the neighbor's room, and we could hear the shocking sound of voices, complaining, arguing bitterly. ...and I couldn't shut it out." Asides having no privacy in your home, the bathing and toilet facilities were also unprivate.
Internees also tried to improve conditions outside the barracks as they planted trees, hedges, and flower beds. “As part of the beautification, Manzanar boasted a ‘lovely landscaped Japanese garden’ near one of its mess halls. ’Oh, it's really so hot, you see, and the wind blows. There is no shade at all. It's miserable, really. But one year after, it's quite a change. A year after they built the camp and put water there, the green grows up. And mentally everyone is better.’”
The internees had to live in horse stalls in unsanitary conditions with open sewers and in poorly built barracks. The barracks were only crowded single rooms with cots, blankets, and a pot-bellied stove. The internees soon found scraps of lumber and other materials to create more accommodations and hung up posters and curtains. An unnamed internee remembered “how her brother salvaged wood from the camp's scrap lumber pile to build a dresser attached to the wall studs: ‘Now each member of the family had one drawer for clothes.’ Then her brother built two standing wood frames for their mother to cover with cloth to serve as room dividers. These improved life because ‘we had a semblance of privacy now for dressing and sleeping.’” However coal was a very rare source to find, so internees slept cold with as many blankets as they could. There was also no privacy provided from the partitions, as one internee at Manzanar, California remembered that "They used cheap pine wood. The knots would fall off so we could see in the neighbor's room, and we could hear the shocking sound of voices, complaining, arguing bitterly. ...and I couldn't shut it out." Asides having no privacy in your home, the bathing and toilet facilities were also unprivate.
Internees also tried to improve conditions outside the barracks as they planted trees, hedges, and flower beds. “As part of the beautification, Manzanar boasted a ‘lovely landscaped Japanese garden’ near one of its mess halls. ’Oh, it's really so hot, you see, and the wind blows. There is no shade at all. It's miserable, really. But one year after, it's quite a change. A year after they built the camp and put water there, the green grows up. And mentally everyone is better.’”
The inmates stood in line for everything including meals, latrines, supplies, and services. The meals themselves were not full of the nutrients needed, and there were minimal portions. WRA officials found it difficult to please both the Nisei, who wanted American food while the Issei wanted Japanese food, so they tried to compromise. Ultimately, it took 48 cents to feed one internee. The food was served by fellow internees in a mess hall of 250-300 people (Siasoco and Ross). A typical Delta Breakfast included: stewed dried fruit, farina with hot milk, french toast with syrup, cocoa, milk, half grapefruit, rolled oats with milk, hot cakes with syrup, coffee, dry cereal with milk, and tea A Delta Lunch had: baked macaroni and cheese, steamed rice, tsukemono (pickled vegetables), boiled fresh vegetables, lettuce salad, orange, bread, (apple) tea, boiled beef-spanish style, Boston baked beans, boiled fresh vegetables. And a Delta Dinner usually served: fresh fried fish, stewed corn, steamed rice, pickled fresh beets, butterscotch dessert, beef sukiyaki (a sort of Japanese chop suey), steamed rice, tsukemono, potato salad, spice cake, tea, fried fresh fish, cole slaw, fruit jello, tea. If internees did not find these options satisfying, they were allowed to buy additional food at cooperative stores at camps.
But as camp life evolved and internees began working at offices, canteens, mess halls, hospitals, and schools and earned $8 to $16 per month for 44 hours a week (Caamedia.org Staff). They used this monthly allowance to buy clothing and extra food. Leadership positions were given as well, however, they only offered them to the Nisei. By October 1942, the Tule Lake Camp had 3,000 workers at their camp. Some jobs included farmers who produced food for the camp, there were 500 construction workers for barracks, hospitals, and farms, 400 maintenance men, garbage men, janitors for 400 buildings like mess halls and laundry rooms, and 600 warehouse and transportation workers. There were 350 cooks, 410 firemen, policemen, and civic leaders, and 100 doctors, dentists, and pharmacists at Tule Lake Camp alone (Arcweb.us Staff).
But as camp life evolved and internees began working at offices, canteens, mess halls, hospitals, and schools and earned $8 to $16 per month for 44 hours a week (Caamedia.org Staff). They used this monthly allowance to buy clothing and extra food. Leadership positions were given as well, however, they only offered them to the Nisei. By October 1942, the Tule Lake Camp had 3,000 workers at their camp. Some jobs included farmers who produced food for the camp, there were 500 construction workers for barracks, hospitals, and farms, 400 maintenance men, garbage men, janitors for 400 buildings like mess halls and laundry rooms, and 600 warehouse and transportation workers. There were 350 cooks, 410 firemen, policemen, and civic leaders, and 100 doctors, dentists, and pharmacists at Tule Lake Camp alone (Arcweb.us Staff).
Recreational activities were also encouraged in the community to prevent discontent which can lead to violence. The Japanese usually spent their leisure time barber shops, flower shops, and gardens. "With tens of luscious, adorable lovelies behind the counter, the community canteens are the center of all activities. Here, dates are approved or reproved, card games and private parties planned, and much idle chatter held to pass the time away, with the latest recordings from the jukebox adding to the tumult." said an anonymous internee. The most popular sport was baseball, which was a big deal if made into the playoffs. Softball, volleyball, football, and ping pong was also played. There were clubs and classes for activities like fencing. At Tule Lake there was even a symphony and a dance band. The camp also hosted Halloween masquerade balls, pageants, art shows, films, and plays. Kids were also encouraged to spend time away from their families, "Once we got to Manzanar, we ate with our friends," said a former internee, Umemoto, 79. “‘We didn't associate that much with our own families.’ Parents and children drifted apart. “There was no family life in the camps,’” says Jim Kubota, another former-internee. This was all caused by the white setting up fire and police departments, newspapers, and baseball.
In addition to jobs, meals, and poorly built housing being provided, the War Relocation Authority officials also provided education to the kids through high school level for school-age students. The schools were converted barracks, however, and school supplies were usually short. Relief agencies, churches, and internees donated and built desks, bookshelves, books, maps, and related items. The teachers were mostly Caucasian and sometimes Japanese American. They were selected by the state and taught courses planned by the state as well. The students often liked the Americans though. One internee admitted, “I vividly remember two of my Caucasian teachers, dedicated and effective, although many students were hostile and uncooperative in the classroom, probably taking out their resentment on them. Who were these individuals who gave up the freedom and comforts of the 'outside' and chose to pursue their profession in the dreary camps? They must have been compassionate and selfless persons.” College students were allowed to attend higher institutions outside of the camp and it became common to relocate for the reason of education. But the wait was long because, according to an article published at that time of the Daily Tulean Dispatch, “this type of leave includes both citizens and aliens, [and] the applicants must be cleared by the FBI and through the Record Office of the WRA."
War Relocation Authority officials also provided free medical and dental care. The clinics and the hospital were staffed by Japanese Americans. Infants and nursing mothers were given special medical services, but had to pay extra for special medical treatments. These were all the results of the fear officials had, with outbreaks and epidemics.
War Relocation Authority officials also provided free medical and dental care. The clinics and the hospital were staffed by Japanese Americans. Infants and nursing mothers were given special medical services, but had to pay extra for special medical treatments. These were all the results of the fear officials had, with outbreaks and epidemics.