Independence, California: Manzanar WWII Japanese Internment Camp

The Japanese Internment Camp-Manazanar is one of multiple camps throughout the western US where Japanese descent US residents were forcibly interned during WWII. The location is now a US Park Service-operated facility with a very interesting museum and great gift shop. You can also drive around the old camp grounds (of which little is left). When we visited, the place was empty and we had a park ranger all to ourselves. A must stop for any WWII history buff (Note: no shot glasses or snow globes available).

This is where America sent many of its citizens of Japanese ancestry at the beginning of WWII. Mostly, only the foundations remain from the barrack-like buildings. A few buildings do exist, including the guard huts (built in the swooping roofline typical of Japan); the huts were constructed by the internees themselves.

Manzanar must be one of the blackest days of our country's history (although I was somewhat mollified later to learn that both Australia and New Zealand had similar camps).