Japanese-American Internment

According to the National Archives, the Poston, Arizona internment camp was located "on the Colorado River Indian Reservation." In these War Relocation photographs, the site is "partially developed." Perhaps a river is nearby, but it isn’t noticeable in these pictures.

• The highway leading to Poston marked the camp as a "Prohibited" military area.
  
  
• Japanese-Americans registered at Poston when they first arrived at the camp.
  
  
• Evacuees served as welders, assistant doctors, firemen and local police at Poston.
  
  
• Hastily constructed barracks, covered with rolls of roofing material, eventually served as shelter for more than 17,000 people forced to leave their own homes and resettle at dusty Poston.
  
  
• On arrival at the camp, people created mattresses with straw sticks and slept on beds in very close quarters. Shower facilities were primitive and communal.
  
  
• It was hot at Poston, so ice from a thermos helped to provide some relief from the heat.
  
  
• Children play, and read, wherever they are.
  
  
• Evacuees created a garden area at Poston and enjoyed outdoor musical concerts.

Families sent to Minidoka, Idaho found themselves in a much different climate. There, children played in the snow instead of the desert.