History Colorado

A young girl arrives at the Grananda Relocation Center in Amache, Colorado.

On February 19, 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, sending more than 120,000 people of Japanese descent living on the west coast to 10 internment camps located in Wyoming, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Utah, inland California, and Colorado.

The War Relocation Authority tried to convince Americans that relocating Japanese Americans to internment camps was justifiable with movies such as this one. Americans saw these short movies before feature films in theaters around the country.

More than two-thirds of the internees were American citizens. Internees were given just days to leave their homes, communities, and businesses and were allowed to bring only two suitcases with them. Most had no idea where they were being sent or when they would return.

Japanese Relocation

The Aftermath of Amache

Once Japanese Americans were placed in internment camps, they were not allowed to leave without special permission. If they did leave, they needed to carry travel permits and tags.

A Life in Paperwork

The Granada Relocation Center, also known as Amache, was one of ten internment camps for Japanese Americans built during World War II and the only one in Colorado.

The Granada Relocation Center

Here is the sequence of events from the Granada Relocation Center’s opening in 1942 to its closing in 1945, and the events that occurred after.

 Amache Timeline

Explore Ralph Carr’s desk to find out more about his life.

Stand for Justice

Executive Order 9066 was signed in 1942 by United States president Franklin D. Roosevelt and authorized the internment of tens of thousands of American citizens of Japanese ancestry and Japanese immigrants.

Democratic Principles in Conflict 

The federal government tore down or relocated the buildings that once made up the Amache-Granada Relocation Center, which at its peak housed 7,318 people.
The site was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2006. Restoration and preservation efforts, along with archaeological research, have been ongoing since 2007.

The Amache-Granada Relocation Center: A  Historic Landmark

Ralph Carr was the Governor of Colorado from 1939 to 1943.

The Ralph Carr Story

By April of 1945, WWII was winding down. Hitler died on April 30, and victory in europe was formally declared on May 9. Amache officially closed in October, 1945, though Public Proclamation No. 21 was officially issued on January 2, 1945, allowing Japanese Americans to return home.
But where was home?
People had left homes, businesses, and farms behind. Now they were given very short notice that they had to leave Amache. They were given $25 and a train or bus ticket. Some people returned to California and the west coast and tried to rebuild their previous lives. They often returned to face more prejudice. Others, invited to stay in Colorado by Governor Ralph Carr, started over again in the only western state that welcomed them.

After the War: Leaving Amache

Objects can tell us a lot about a story from the past. Take a look at a few items that might have been brought to Amache from the perspective of a family who lived there. What do they tell us about daily life at Amache? 

Taking Personal Objects to Amache

Become acquainted with several democratic principles and consider the degree to which Coloradans throughout our history have accepted and demonstrated these principles. This list of principles is not complete. These simply represent a sample of key principles. As you review the definition of each principle, think about examples that show up in your own life.
During World War II, many of these principles came into conflict with one another when people of Japanese ancestry were removed from their homes and forced to live in Internment Camps. Think about these principles as you learn more about Japanese Internment through the story of Amache in Colorado.    

Democratic Principles: An Introduction

Circle the objects that the father would have taken to Amache, star the objects that the mother would have taken, and put a square around the objects the children would have taken. What do you think some of these items could be used for? What would you take from your home if you suddenly had to move? How do these objects connect to Japanese-American culture?

Packing for Amache

The federal government tore down or relocated the buildings that once made up the Amache-Granada Relocation Center, which at its peak housed 7,318 people. The site was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2006. Restoration and preservation efforts, along with archaeological research, have been ongoing since 2007.

The Amache-Granada Relocation Center: A Historic Landmark

During World War II, 120,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans were forced into internment camps—including one in Colorado called "Amache." Explore the story of Amache through the lens of democratic principles and discover how they came into conflict in this historic case study.

Additional Resources, Books, Articles, and Photos

Teacher Resources, Colorado Biographies, and Secondary Level Books on Japanese Internment and Relocation

Japanese American Internment in Colorado Teacher Online Resources and Curriculum

Power of Words Handbook A Guide to Language about Japanese Americans in World War II

Letter from the Amache Historical Society 

1. Understand the nature of historical knowledge as a process of inquiry that examines and analyzes how history is viewed, constructed, and interpreted.

1. d. Identify and describe how major political and cultural groups have affected the development of the region.

2. Analyze historical time periods and patterns of continuity and change, through multiple perspectives, within and among cultures and societies.

2. c. Describe both past and present interactions among the people and cultures

3.  Apply geographic representations and perspectives to analyze human movement, spatial patterns, systems, and the connections and

4. Examine the characteristics of places and regions, and the changing nature among geographic and human interactions.

4. c. Analyze how people use geographic factors in creating settlements and have adapted to and modified the local physical environment.

Resource Kits

Object Library

Museums

Japanese Internment in Colorado

Japanese Relocation

Background Knowledge