Topaz Internment Camp, Foundations
Delta, Utah, USA
Panoramic photo collage with Fuji Crystal Archive prints
1995
31" x 72"
Research: Topaz Relocation Camp
Location: Millard County, Utah, near Abraham, 140 miles south of Salt Lake City.
Land: Mix of public domain land, land which had reverted to the county for non payment of taxes and land purchased from private parties.
Size: 19,800 acres
Peak population: 8,130
Date of peak: March 17, 1943
Opening date: September 11, 1942
Closing Dates:
October 31, 1945
Climate: Temperatures ranged from 106 degrees in summer to -30 degrees in winter; located at an elevation of 4,600 feet, the region was subject to a constant wind that resulted in frequent dust storms.
Population Origins:
Of the 8,130 Americans held prisoner here...
Primarily California: prisoners were from 0
Alameda County County (3,679) prisoners were from 1
San Francisco County (3,370) prisoners were from 2
San Mateo County (722) prisoners were from 3
Community Analysts: Oscar F. Hoffman and Weston LaBarre
History: Topaz featured an organized protest against the registration questionnaire, in which a petition was circulated demanding the restoration of rights as a prerequisite for registration. Issei chef James Hatsuki Wakasa was shot to death by a guard on April 11, 1943. The literary and arts magazine Trek was produced here.
The population was almost completely urban in origin.