Colorado Governor Welcomes Japanese-Americans: Colorado County Life Magazine

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Sunday afternoon and the three girls who occupy this barracks room relax. The furniture, the book niches, flower pot and print mats are all made by the girls from scrap lumber and scrap pieces of wall board. Relocation Camp was named. Army contractors built the camp as any military base they had previously con -` structed. Within three months rows upon rows of military barracks were erected, as well as a school, church and community center. The first train carrying the = s "relocated" (the term in vogue at the time) Japanese - Americans arrived in ' August of 1942. Provided with tools and.scrap wood, the people made their own furniture and whatever they felt was.necessary for their own quarters in the bar- racks. There was no electricity for several months. A few of the 'barracks had - access to water, but for a time many of the residents had to walk a good distance to the irrigation ditch. h By 1943, 7,000 Japanese - Americans were living at Amache. When it became , apparent that another school building was needed, the U.S. Army was criticized by the residents of Prowers County. The thought was that the Army was wasting -, money and was "coddling the enemy." Community leaders in nearby Lamar encouraged signs in the windows of the businesses that read "No Daps Wanted." Governor Ralph Carr was forced to defend his decision to host the relocation camp. He argued that these people had the same rights as other Americans and �s ra- held fast to his decision. And then local sentiment began to change as the local residents saw how well the "enemy" adapted to dry land farming and the dust bowl conditions of southeastern Colorado. The Japanese - Americans not only adapted, but excelled Y They experimented with different crops —'crops the natives of Prowers County M� r _tea e had never considered planting. Amazingly, the city council of nearby Lamar passed an ordinance allowing area farmers to use the labor of the so- called y r "enemy" to help save their own crops, which were desperately needed for the r;�' K £� War effort.' N,. Ale g_ xn ti For all the indignity these Japanese - Americans endured — being forced to r� 4 . abandon their homes and endure harsh living conditions — they retained an j � y Ai amazing tolerance and dignity. Although the communal living and harsh condi- Lions put heavy strains on the families, they maintained their American traditions and aided the war effort in every way possible, Y p However, racism raised its ugly head once again. By the close of 1943, resent- �62, (continued on Page I8) MMOMMF z ' LIFE NLAC ZIVE 4 j UiIE 1 999 • Z7