Topaz

Topaz
By Brooke Elder
There are three things that I am going to talk about when it comes to the Japanese
Internment camp in Utah called Topaz. First is what all started it along with what happened
before the people got to the camp. Then I would like to talk about the camp its self, and life in
the camp. Then I will finish with the events before and after the camp closed.
The events that led up to the start of the Internment camps were, WWII and the bombing
of Pearl Harbor by Japan. The US was worried that citizens that were of Japanese heritage were
someway involved in the attacks against the US. On the site called I <3 history they said these
citizens were of Japanese descent, and the government thought they might assist japan during the
war. And talked about how the USA was worried that they were going to become spies or help
japan with more attracts. So once the camps were decided people that were of Japanese heritage
were all given numbers when they were gathered up. In a video called Japanese Internment
during WWII it said that some had close to two weeks noetic before they had to leave and others
did not get that long at all they got only a couple days. Once they left their homes, jobs along
with all their belongings that they could not carry on them or in their arms, then they were taken
to lots of different places one was a horse race track were they were forced to live in the stalls till
the camp that they were going to was finished. They werent sure of what was going to happen to
them.
Topaz is near delta Utah, Were it can be really windy and dusty. According to I <3 history
there was 8,000 people housed here with 2 elementary schools, one high school and one hospital.
A site called Topaz Museum reported the cost to build was 3,929,000, the size of camp was
19,900acres, living area 640 acres, fence was 4ft with barbwire, 42 blocks, 36 housing blocks,
and living space 120x20 barracks (which are used to house large numbers of people) divided in
to 6 apartments. They also said that the 6 apartments were 3 different sizes; 20x14, 20x20,
and 20x26.
A lot of the sources that I have found told me how life was in topaz, they were living in
fear they had no clue what was going to happen to them. There were families that got separated
from echother, such as in children of the camps women whose husbands was imprisoned
elsewhere. as her struggle to care for her two small children in the camphaving to carry
them both to the mess hall to stand in line for meals three times a day she said you have to
realize, I did not have a stroller in the camp and because there was no privacy, I had to do
anything to keep the children from crying or making noise. They were also living in fear from
the forces along the fence line. I <3 history told of a story about a man that walked to close to the
fence and was told to stop and did not and got killed. In the video, Japanese Internment during
WWII a man recalls what he thought as a child, If I was there for my own protection then why
are the guns facing in instead of out. In the children in the camps the author recounts her
mothers diary entry, I wonder if today is the day theyre going to line us up and shoot us. the
inmates experienced feelings of shame, self-blame, helplessness, and the daily lack of privacy
in all aspects of their lives took its toll.1
There were lots activities to be part of; libraries that had English and Japanize books,
religion, a beauty shop, sports, movies every week, ok health care with help from the LDS
hospital in Salt Lake City, there were artists, and after the military was cut back they could go
out and go for picnics and day trips outside of the camps fences. There were lots of activities
1 Children of the camps pages 11-14
through the schools as well; sports teams, boys and girls club, FFA (Future Farmers of America),
yearbook and the newspaper.
From children of the camp there was, the impact on the family did not end with the
release from the prison. Totsuohis father returned to his life determined to create security and
acceptance for his family in the face of the hostility and racism that was ever-present. Reading on
the I <3 history site I found quite a bit. The Japanese internment camps went from 1942-1945.
Topaz closed in October of 1945 and in 1988 President Reagan apologized to the Japanese and
had congress compensate them. Topaz is known a historical cite, with some buildings and other
structure still stand, and a museum has been created with artifacts.
Sources
http://ilovehistory.utah.gov/time/stories/topaz.html
http://www.topazmuseum.org/facts
http://encyclopedia.densho.org/Topaz/#Life_in_Camp
Children of The Camps pages 11-14
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?
q=topaz+camp+videos&&view=detail&mid=411EA98D2517A9D1B7CD41
1EA98D2517A9D1B7CD&FORM=VRDGAR
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?
q=Japanese+Internment+during+WWII+topaz&&view=detail&mid=D34E2
3134E0AD528A25CD34E23134E0AD528A25C&FORM=VRDGAR

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