The location for the center was selected because it was remote and yet convenient. The land was managed by the federal Bureau of Reclamation, which before the war had initiated a major irrigation project in the area and had already constructed canals, buildings, and some infrastructure. The site was adjacent to a railroad spur and depot where internees could be off-loaded and processed.
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| Barbed wire still abounds. A red brick chimney remains as the highest man-made object for miles around. And Heart Mountain still towers over this treeless section of Northern Wyoming between the towns of Cody and Powell. |
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But the barbed wire now is used only to contain horses and acres of barley and feed corn. The smokestack that once helped to heat a 150-bed hospital is dormant. And Heart Mountain looks down on a desert area that has all but swept clean the memories of a half century ago. In a state that prides itself on the heritage of the old West, little can be found of what 50 years ago was the third largest city in Wyoming. In August of 1942, this area became the site of one of 10 relocation camps set up for Japanese-Americans throughout the West. |
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This is a listing of over 700 internees who though locked up by the American government, went on to serve in the military. |
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For the three years, three months and three days of its existence, the Heart Mountain Relocation Center was home to nearly 11,000 Japanese-Americans, most of whom were from Northern California. Built in 60 days, Heart Mountain was a community of 465 barracks — each divided into family-size apartments — mess halls, baths and toilet facilities. It also had its own water system, infirmary, post office, court system, fire department and a miniature zoo complete with rattlesnakes, rabbits, kangaroo rats, bats and other creatures native to their arid environment. |
