NEWS: Photos of Topaz Internment Camp Available Online to the Public

Photos of Topaz Internment Camp Available Online to the Public

In partnership with KUED,  Utah State History has added a new and unique digital photo collection of the residents of the Topaz Internment Camp. 

In May 1942, President Roosevelt and the United States Army issued Civil Exclusion Order No. 34, which called for the internment of Americans of Japanese descent. One of the camps was in Utah: the Topaz Internment Camp near Delta. This collection of over 200 photos includes images used in the making of   a 1987 KUED film about Topaz. It documents the history of Japanese American internees from California and their temporary relocation to the Tanforan Race Track.  Also documented is their arrival in Utah and the dignified way the internees lived their daily lives at  Topaz for the next three years before the camp closed in 1945.  

“Sharing powerful stories from Utah’s history is one of our key services as a public television station,” said KUED’s Ken Verdoia. “Preserving those stories to touch future generations is one of the roles of Utah State History. This is an example of a great partnership.” 

           

“Utah State History is very excited to make this important collection of images more broadly available, especially in conjunction with the groundbreaking ceremony on August 4, 2012, for the construction of the newTopaz Museum in Delta,” said Wilson Martin, Utah State History Director.   “These photos document the struggle of a group Japanese Americans carrying on with their lives under the most difficult of circumstances.”

The Topaz Residents photo collection is available online at:            http://history.utah.gov/research_and_collections/photos/kued_topaz.html.

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State History serves the citizens of Utah by helping to make history accessible, exciting, and relevant—and integral to the economy and culture of the state. State History is a division of the Utah Department of Heritage and Arts (www.heritage.utah.gov).