Jerome War Relocation Center (central area)

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An internment camp for Japanese-American citizens forcibly removed from California, mainly Los Angeles and the San Joaquin Valley, Open from 6 October 6 1942, until 30 June 1944, it held up to 8,497 inmates, including entire families and children.

The actual boundaries of the camp, which included 10,054 acres, were much larger, but this was the area surrounded by a barbed wire fence and towers with armed guards. The remaining area of the camp was agricultural.

Only two complete buildings survive today (originally used as houses), but a concrete water reservoir, a tall smokestack, some segments of raised gravel streets, concrete foundations (generally being used as foundations for current buildings), some foundation ruins of a guard tower, and the railway line remain. About a half mile east of the marked area can be found substantial remnants of the camp's sewage treatment plant. The public highway which runs through the site was originally located on the west side of the railroad tracks, where remnants of it can still be seen.

In addition to the Wikipedia link, below, a fairly comprehensive history of the camp and its current state can be found at: www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce7....