Japanese Relocation

Soon after arriving at the North Portland Assembly Center—a temporary living space that housed Japanese and Japanese Americans before they were moved to relocation camps—in early May 1942, internees began publishing their own newspaper, the Evacuazette. By May 29, 1942, circulation of the newspaper had reached 1,000 readers. The Evacuazette kept camp residents informed of new arrivals and reported on daily happenings inside the center.

In addition to being displaced and guarded by U.S. soldiers, internees experienced living conditions that were much worse than what they were accustomed to at home. One of the most difficult physical and psychological changes was the loss of privacy. Each family lived in a single room, and several families shared bathroom and cafeteria facilities. Similar to the assembly centers, life at the relocation centers was cramped and uncomfortable. Life at the Heart Mountain Relocation Center in Wyoming, Minidoka in Idaho, and Tule Lake in California was harsh. The barracks were roughly-built and poorly-insulated, and the landscape was barren.