Japanese War Camp

Gila River Arizona

Memorial marker for the Gila River Japanese internment camp

The Gila River War Relocation Center

The camp was located on the Gila River Indian Reservation about 50 miles southeast of Phoenix, near the town of Rivers. The 16,500-acre site actually consisted of two separate camps, with the larger of the two, Butte Camp, located 3-1/2 miles west of Canal Camp. The Sacaton Mountains rise three miles to the south and the Superstition Mountains are visible in the distance. The average summer temperature is 104 degrees and has been known to reach 125 degrees.

Despite the Gila River Indian Tribe’s objections, the site was approved, and construction began on May 1, 1942. The camp officially opened on July 20, 1942, and evacuees streamed in from the Sacramento Delta area, Fresno County and the Los Angeles area. (Another 2,000 came from the Jerome Relocation Center in Arkansas after its closing in June 1944). By December 1942, Gila River had a peak population of 13,348 and was Arizona’s fourth largest city. Canal Camp closed on September 28, 1945, and Butte Camp closed on November 10, 1945.

Gila River Internment Center - Rivers, Arizona

Memorial marker at Butte Camp

Butte Camp had 821 buildings, including 22 administration offices, warehouses, and staff housing. There was a post office, garages, mimeograph buildings, warehouses, police office, court, water filtration plant, refrigerated warehouse, laundry, gas station and various other staff buildings, most of which were built by the evacuees. Butte Camp had 627 residential barracks of which 46 were used for the schools, 6 for churches, and 29 for other services, including a shoe repair shop, sewing shop, laundry and dry cleaning, barber shop, beauty shop, canteen, store, and a kitchen.

Memorial marker at Butte Camp listing the names

 of Japanese Americans from the

  Gila River Relocation Center killed in World War II.

These barracks were made of wood and fireproof shingles that blocked out the desert heat. Each barrack was made to house four single families in separate apartments. Unfortunately, the camp exceeded its capacity: it was designed for 10,000 residents, but held over 13,000. Because of this some families resorted to living in the mess hall or recreation buildings and used blankets as makeshift walls. Water shortages also plagued the camp, and poisonous rattlesnakes and scorpions kept Butte Hospital extremely busy.

Cultural, civic and religious activities flourished with in the camp. Recreation buildings and barracks were used for churches, meeting rooms, libraries, and other community services. There was an active Japanese American Citizens League, as well as Boy Scouts, American Legion and other groups.

Both Buddhist and Christian congregations held church services.

Internees could also maintain relationships with people on the outside and were able to obtain passes for visitors to enter the camp.

The schools enrolled several thousand students from kindergarten through high school. One entire block housed an elementary school and another was used for the high school. The internees built an auditorium and additional classroom buildings for science, home economics, and vocational studies.

Students and teachers alike had to make do with a lack of materials, but they were resourceful in creating ways around the shortages. The typing class had only two typewriters, so students practiced on cardboard diagrams of an actual keyboard. Desks and chairs were made by students in the vocational school, and painted walls served as blackboards. Most of the teachers were Japanese American, many with college degrees and some with teaching experience.

The State of Arizona accredited the schools in both camps, and 97 seniors graduated from Canal High School in 1944. In addition, a variety of adult classes were held during the day and in the evening under the direction of an adult education department.

Memorial marker at Canal Camp

Canal Camp had 404 buildings, with 44 for administrative purposes, 232 barracks for living quarters, 16 mess halls, 17 ironing rooms, 17 laundry rooms, 34 latrine and shower buildings, 24 school buildings and 20 community service buildings. Residential sections were divided into blocks of 14 barracks. Each barrack was 20 by 100 square feet and divided into four single-family apartments.

Rebuilding their lives on the outside was a difficult prospect because many who had been interned were not sure where to go. Some families were able to relocate to the Midwest or the East Coast; the rest remained in Arizona or returned to the West Coast. By the fall of 1945, the last to leave were 155 Hawaiian Japanese. In December most of the buildings were moved to other institutions in Arizona, although many of the internees chose to stay in the camps until the war ended and restrictions were lifted in January 1945.

 Butte Camp, Gila River Relocation Center

 Canal Camp, Gila River Relocation Center

Group of Japanese American children at the Gila River Relocation Center, August 1943.

 Harvesting cucumbers at the Gila River Relocation Center

 Growing experimetnal plants at the Gila River Relocation Center

 Harvesting daikon at the Gila River Relocation Center

 Sites in the western U.S. associated with the relocation

of Japanese Americans during World War II.

What the Camps look like today.

Americans of Japanese Ancestry Who Died in World War II

Unit	First Name	Last Name	Rank	Hometown	Date Died	Battles	Grave	Camp
1.100-C	Masashi	ARAKI	Pfc	Selma, CA	02-Jun-44	Anzio to Rome	US	Gila River
6.MIS	Russell T.	FUJINO	T/Sgt	San Francisco, CA	4-Aug-45		Golden Gate	Gila River
1.100-A	Tatsumi	FURUKAWA	Pvt	Concord, CA	20-Oct-44	Battle of Bruyeres	Golden Gate	Gila River
3.442-L	John T.	HASHIMOTO	Sgt	Fresno, CA	14-Nov-44	Vosges Mtn -St. Die	Seattle, WA	Gila River
2.442-E	Yeiichi	HIYAMA	Pvt	Fowler, CA	23-Apr-45	Po Valley Campaign		Gila River
2.442-G	Minoru	ISHIDA	Pfc	San Marino, CA	23-Apr-45	Po Valley Campaign	Evergreen, LA	Gila River
1.100-A	James J.	KANADA	Pvt	Concord, CA	05-Apr-45	Po Valley Campaign	Golden Gate	Gila River
2.442-F	Shaw	KOJAKU	Pfc	Gardena, CA	17-Jul-44	Rome-Arno	Evergreen, LA	Gila River
2.442-E	Nobuo	KOMOTO	Pfc	Selma, CA	17-Oct-44	Battle of Bruyeres		Gila River
2.442-E	Henry M.	KONDO	Pfc	Pasadena, CA	19-Oct-44	Battle of Bruyeres		Gila River
6.MIS	Satoshi B.	KUROKAWA	T/4	Guadalupe, CA	13-Aug-45	Plane Crash, Okinawa		Gila River
2.442-F	Kazuo	MASUDA	S/Sgt	Santa Ana, CA	27-Aug-44	Rome-Arno		Gila River
2.442-E	George H.	MASUMOTO	Pfc	Selma, CA	16-Oct-44	Battle of Bruyeres		Gila River
1.100-C	Takanori A.	NISHI	Pfc	San Francisco, CA	15-Jul-44	Rome-Arno	Golden Gate	Gila River
4.442-Can	George	OTA	Pvt	Parlier, CA	15-Aug-44	Rome-Arno		Gila River
2.442-G	Kazuo	OTANI	S/Sgt	Visalia, CA	15-Jul-44	Rome-Arno		Gila River
2.442-G	Todd T.	SAKOHIRA	Pfc	Fowler, CA	04-Jul-44	Rome-Arno		Gila River
6.MIS	George M.	SHIKATA	T/3	Los Angeles, CA	21-Jul-46	Died Non-Battle		Gila River
1.100-C	Katsumi L.	TAKASUGI	T/Sgt	Ventura, CA	05-Apr-45	Po Valley Campaign	US	Gila River
4. 442-?	Masuo	WAKITA	Pfc	Santa Ana, CA	23-Aug-45	Died Non-Battle		Gila River
3.442-L	Mitsuru T.	YETO	Pvt	Oxnard, CA	19-Apr-45	Po Valley Campaign	Evergreen, LA	Gila River
7.Army	Makoto	YOSHIHARA	Pvt	Guadalupe, CA	22-Dec-44	Died Non-Battle		Gila River

List of Figures

Gila River Relocation Center

As the land for the camp sites is owned by the Gila River Indian Tribe and is considered sacred by them, public access to the sites is currently restricted. Although all the main structures are long gone, some artifacts such as the road grid, concrete slab foundations, manholes, cisterns, several rock alignments and dozens of small ponds remain today.