Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Manzanar Garden

What's that, no water here? There was in the early 1940's

Open your imagination and see a Japanese garden with water running down a stream into a pond.

Ten thousand people, most of them American citizens were sent to Manzanar. They had done nothing wrong, they were there simply because there ancestors had been born in Japan. Many tried to make the best of a bad situation and tried to bring some beauty into this bleak landscape. With water and care, this desert can bloom but it is hot, windy and dusty in summer and bitter cold in the winter. The barracks, hastily built, offered inadequate protection.
I'll have more on Manzanar latter in the week.

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16 comments:

James said...

I saw a film about this in school. It's really a shame, but it seems that the people in Manzanar really made the most of a terrible situation.

Carletta said...

Not a great moment in history - but I can look at this image and imagine the beauty that could be. Lovely cloudscape!

My post is here: Carletta’s Captures.

Ebie said...

Hello, Martha, I missed a lot of sites to visit while in the area, first the Devils Post Pile was closed so we couldn't visit the Rainbow Falls. Five days was just not enough. We are going back to the Mammoth Area in the fall. We stopped at the Manzanar Interpretative Center. There were a lot of school buses. I was so teary watching the short clip. If you stopped there on Wednesday, we could have spotted each other. In spite of the scorching heat that day, we stopped at the grave site. Next time, I will keep you in mind.

penny said...

Thanks for the reminder of our shameful past. It should never happen again.

Barb said...

I look forward to more pictures from this site. It is hard to imagine water there, isn't it?

Vicky said...

very sad story...

Katney said...

A good read: Farewll to Manzanar--by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston.

A good movie to rent--American Pastime. (set at a different camp)

Unknown said...

That was such a sad moment in American History..

Thank you for posting this..

roentare said...

Excellent image here. Love the ambience in the air

Maggie May said...

That was a very interesting and unusual Watery Wednesday.
Enjoyed reading it & looking at your photo. Thanks for sharing it.

RH said...

So sad...

Unknown said...

That's a sad story, but at least you have the history to remember and keep in mind. Thanks for the visit.

Anonymous said...

That is a watery picture - it brings rivers to my eyes - almost made me cry. I've watched a documentary and a movie about that act of discremination - thanks for bringing this image up to our attention. Great work!

Anonymous said...

What a sad yet beautiful photo. I like to imagine it when it had water.
Charlotte

2sweetnsaxy said...

Wow. What a difference between this and what you described. That was not one of America's shining moments. :-(

sunnymama said...

This is an interesting and thought-provoking watery wednesday post! Thanks for sharing it :)