Manzanar National Historic Site

Oral Histories

National Historic Landmark
1985
 
National Historic Site
1992
 
Park Size
814 acres
 
Annual Visitors
105,000
 
Park Fee
none
 
Superintendent
Jeremy Scheier
 
Park Partner
Sierra Forever

Location
Inyo County, CA

In 1942, the United States government ordered more than 120,000 men, women, and children of Japanese descent to leave their homes and detained them in remote, military-style camps. The Manzanar War Relocation Center was one of ten camps where Japanese American citizens and resident Japanese citizens were incarcerated during World War II. Manzanar National Historic Site was established to preserve the stories of the imprisonment of many of these Japanese Americans and to serve as a reminder to future generations of the fragility of American civil liberties.
 
The park has conducted over 600 oral histories of past internees and staff. Oral histories are used extensively at the site, including in the development of interpretive exhibits and podcasts, and to identify archaeological resources (buried gardens, basements, etc.). The Fund for People in Parks provided a grant to fund the collection of 20 more oral histories conducted by highly trained interviewers.

Through the park's efficient and creative use of the funds, they were able to conduct 64 new interviews, including 7 with narrators who have since passed away, capturing their stories for current and future generations. National Park Service staff have been incorporating these important new stories into public interpretive programs, social media, and student programming.  All oral histories have been given to the narrators and their families, and are available to researchers and the general public upon request at Manz_Information_Request -at- nps.gov.
 
Project Cost: $39,240                                                                          Project Completed: 2020
     The Fund for People in Parks: $34,240
     Match from Private Donor Directly to National Park Service: $5,000

I want to express appreciation on behalf of our staff at Manzanar National Historic Site - and most importantly - the individuals and families whose histories we preserved with support from The Fund for People in Parks. Their recorded stories will allow these individuals to speak far beyond their lifetimes, or ours."
          -Alisa Lynch, (former) Chief of Interpretation, Manzanar National Historic Site