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A coalition of organizations is working to preserve the Minidoka Historic Site for future generations.
By Nalea J. Ko, Reporter
Published November 20, 2009
Sue Hasegawa, 77, was in elementary school when her family packed up and headed to the Portland Assembly Center during World War II. They were eventually incarcerated at what is now the Minidoka Historic Site. It is one of 11 sites on the list of most endangered historic places, according to the National Trust For Historic Preservation (NTFHP).
Hasegawa was the youngest of six children. They were a family of strawberry farmers who moved often to cultivate leased land.
When the order came to evacuate, Hasegawa remembers storing all of their possessions in a chicken house on the farm. She never recovered those belongings.
“We didn’t have a lot to begin with,” Hasegawa said over the phone from her home in Torrance, Calif. “We had no luxury, none whatsoever. Even when it came to toys. Maybe we were just poorer than the rest [laughs].”
At camp she occupied herself, playing games like jump rope and jacks. She said her experience at Minidoka was different than some others.
“I do remember a lot, vividly. But, you know, my reactions and feelings really aren’t the same as somebody older because to me I enjoyed it. I had fun because I was young,” Hasegawa said. “Yeah, ’cause, you know, all we did was play, go to school and eat and play.”
The 77-year-old is one of about 13,000 Japanese Americans who were incarcerated at Minidoka during WWII. Feelings about the site may vary, but most agree that Minidoka is a part of a dark chapter in American history. It is a site some are fighting to preserve in the face of potential changes in the area.
“We have been working with Senator Inouye and Secretary of Interior Salazar to find alternative routes for the impending power line,” said Floyd Mori, JACL national director. “We feel that our urging has been heard and that there will be a new route for the power line that does not impede on the nature and memory of the Minidoka campsite.”
“The animal-feeding plant is still to be determined but we are very hopeful that authorities and the courts will see the hazard and nuisance of such an operation so close by.”
A coalition of Minidoka supporters — including JACL, Friends of Minidoka, local farmers, the NTFHP, Idaho Rural Council, Preservation Idaho, and Idaho Concerned Area Residents For the Environment — have come together to oppose a planned confined animal feeding operation (CAFO) nearby. The coalition filed a lawsuit to appeal the Jerome County Board of Commissioners’ Sept. 23, 2008 vote to approve a permit for the CAFO near the historic site.
“We challenged the Jerome County Board of Commissioners ruling granting the permit,” explained Charlie Tebbutt, the coalition’s attorney. Tebbutt is with the Western Environmental Law Center in Oregon. “The district of Idaho will hear that likely in February or March.”
It is important to prevent the 13,000-heifer feedlot from opening, Tebbutt said, to “preserve the nature and character of the Minidoka site.” Also it would simply stink, he said.
The proposed CAFO site is about 1.2 miles from Minidoka.
“If built, the industrial dairy operation will have devastating impacts on Minidoka and its neighbors by causing noxious odors, dust, and pests,” said Anthea Hartig, director of the Western office of NTFHP. “It is an insult to the sacrifice of the more than 13,000 internees who lived at the camp during World War II, including those who went on to serve their country in war, and will impair the [National] Park Service's ability to interpret the site for future generations.”
Straining the preservation efforts further is another proposed development in the area: the 500-kilovolt electric transmission line, which could bisect the camp. It is a planned 500-mile-long electric line. Talks are underway, according to coalition member, to reroute the line. Although they are optimistic that the power line will be rerouted, nothing is set in writing yet.
Meanwhile legal fees to stop the planned changes at the site are mounting. At its Oct. 30-31 meeting, JACL national board members approved $7,500 to go toward legal fees. Other members have also contributed and the NTFHP has offered a grant, matching the JACL’s contributions.
“It’s still in the review phase. Nothing has been set in stone. Our preference would be to reroute it,” explained Karen Yoshitomi, JACL PNW regional director. “The only options on paper are all objectionable.” Yoshitomi said the coalition welcomes any donations to continue the legal battle.
Those with a personal connection to the site want to see the site preserved for future generations.
“We should not lessen the story of Minidoka by putting these additional pressures on the site that will detract from it,” explained Emily Hanako Momohara, Friends of Minidoka chair. Momohara’s family was interned at Minidoka. It would be “heartbreaking” to allow these planned changes to impact Minidoka since the site has been restored, she said.
About 20 Minidoka barracks and two residential “block mess halls” have been located and some moved back, according to the organization’s Web site. Officials with the Friends of Minidoka are also working on creating an Issei memorial at Minidoka for future JAs to appreciate.
“Speaking from the youth perspective … it’s important because it’s part of our legacy, part of our history. I think that’s why JACL exists,” said Brandon Mita, JACL youth representative.
“I just hope the JA community and Asian American community — and community at large — join in and do something. I think it’s important that we speak out and do something,” he said.
Hasegawa said she understands that younger generations would appreciate visiting the site. The 77-year-old has not returned to Minidoka since the day her family left and likely would never go back.
There are no family photos from her days at Minidoka and she does not clearly remember her last day at camp. Friendships with the “gals” she went to school with are still strong. But for the most part, Hasegawa is happy to leave her memories of the camp in Idaho.
“I know it [Minidoka] isn’t much because it never was much to begin with, you know,” she said.
To donate to the legal battle impacting the Minidoka site, make a donation to “camp preservation” at www.minidoka.org or www.jacl.org.
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