Just Ice and Whiskey: Winter Road Trip

January 14th

Selfie #15:Good morning, Mount Whitney!

...I think it's the one behind Dan's head, but I'm not positive.
Anyway, it's the highest point in the contiguous USA.

The view from our hotel.

ENHANCE!

The hotel had this crazy wind/sun catcher thingie.

More of the mountains, because why not?

It's a cactus made out of horseshoes. What more could you want?

There was no snow on the mountains in this direction.

Selfie #16: Manzanar. Mom didn't quite make it into this one.

Manzanar is the reason we stayed in Lone Pine last night instead of going straight to Death Valley.
Manzanar is one of the Japanese internment, or concentration camps from WWII.

"In 1942 the US government ordered over 110,000 men, women, and children to leave their homes and detained them in remote military-style camps. Two-thirds of them were born in America. Not one of them was convicted of espionage or sabotage. For 10,000 of them, Manzanar would be their new home."

There are two parts to Manzanar today - the inside museum and the outside grounds.

Photos from Manzanar when it was open.

The locations of the various Japanese internment camps.

Model and map of where the main camp was located.

We would go out to see this monument later.

Hand carved bird pins.

There was only one "riot" while Manzanar was open.
WRA - War Relocation Authority

In 2017 money, $12-19 = $176-278. This included semi-skilled workers through professionals. Unskilled workers earned $8 a month ($117.30).

All throughout the museum were tags on person items that told a person's story.

"Built from recycled fruit crates by Yoshihisa Yamanaka while he was incarcerated at Gila River, Arizona. Yamanaka and many other Japanese Americans created useful items from whatever materials were available."

If you answered "no" to the loyalty question, or were considered disruptive to camp life, you were sent to Tule Lake Segregation Center. Draft dodgers and those who opposed the Japanese internment camps were also sent to Tule Lake. It was the largest, with 18,700 inmates, and most controversial of the interment camps.

"Yes, Yes/No, No - Each person over the age of 17 living in a War Relocation Center was asked to complete a questionaire. Men who were US citizens answered the form issued by the Selective Service. All others answered the form issued by the WRA. On each form, the same two questions played a crucial role in determining one's future, Questions 27 and 28.
Generally, results surprised by the WRA and the War Department. More alien Issei [Japan born] responded positively, and more citizen Nisei [US born] responded negatively, than anticipated."

Questions 27 and 28 for men.

Questions 27 and 28 for women.

Manzanar closed on November 21, 1945.

Many people refused to leave Manzanar at all as they had nowhere/nothing to go back to.
They were ultimately forced to leave.

The flags of the various internment camps.

This was written in the guestbook. I was struck by how the whole concept of everything at Manzanar were COMPLETELY missed by the writer. It makes me sad.

Onto the outside portion!

Most of the camp was raised a few years after it closed in 1945.

Being in a valley, there is no break for the wind. It was EXTREMELY windy here.

A few barracks have been recreated to show what it would have been like.
It was pretty bleak.

Each one of those markers would have been another barracks.

At least they could play basketball.

The barracks had further exhibits and information.
Like this "helpful" diagram on who got segregated to Tule Lake.

This is a little more clear on the matter.

The remains of a garden the internees created.

The road out to the memorial.

"Soul Consoling Tower"
150 people died while incarcerated at Manzanar.

It is both beautiful and devastating.

Origami cranes and tokens are left for those who died here or spent time incarcerated here.

"Erected by the Manzanar Japanese, August 1943"

I am glad we made the detour to come here. Though called an internment camp or concentration camp, Manzanar was nothing like the Nazi concentration camps. Do not get them confused. The Japanese and Japanese American people did not deserve to be forced to leave their homes and come to this desolate place, but they were not worked to death or actively slaughtered. It is a terrible thing the US Government did and I feel it gets glossed over when we're taught about the US and WWII.

Onto Death Valley!
(Which sounds a little terrible after being at Manzanar)