Internment camp museum in the works

Wyoming facility slated to open by next August

Sat., Dec. 25, 2010

Associated Press

POWELL, Wyo. – Plans to open a museum at the site of a World War II Japanese-American internment camp in Wyoming are nearly complete.

Officials say the Heart Mountain Interpretive Learning Center should be open by Aug. 20. The 1,000-square-foot museum north of Cody will hold photographs, art and memorabilia depicting the Japanese-American experience during World War II.

“The hope is to basically share the story of what happened here – that the people were denied their constitutional rights,” said Christy Fleming, an interpretive specialist.

“Because of fear and prejudice, they were put into these camps. We want people to see what happened so it doesn’t happen again,” Fleming told the Billings Gazette.

Heart Mountain was one of 10 internment camps operated by the War Relocation Authority during World War II. It was established by executive order of President Franklin Roosevelt in 1942.

The order called for the removal of all people claiming Japanese ancestry from the West Coast. At its height, Heart Mountain was home to as many as 14,000 Japanese-Americans.

Heart Mountain was designated a National Historical Landmark in 2007.

Shirley Higuchi, who chairs the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation, said the grand opening and pilgrimage have been set for the weekend of Aug. 20.

She expects as many as 500 former camp residents and their families to gather for a reunion dinner Aug. 19, with many more expected for the public grand opening Saturday.

“This experience is a lot larger than people are realizing,” Higuchi said. “It’s not only an issue that has attracted our national leadership, but international leadership. These Japanese-American survivors are slowly dying off, and this is the right time to do this.”

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