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The Japanese Community During World War II

Language is important.

At the time, internment was often referred to as “evacuation” or “relocation,” two terms which were purposefully employed by the government. Today, we often use “internment camp.” There is a movement to label these places more appropriately as “concentration camps” or “prison camps.” Government officials and newspaper articles during the war often used “concentration camp” interchangeably with other names. This page will use several different terms.

Image: Two Japanese children in Hayward await relocation. Dorothea Lange, Oakland Museum of California

Japanese in Placer County: Growth and Internment

The Japanese community has been an important part of Placer County’s history since the 19th century. Despite anti-Asian regulations, Japanese immigrants came to the foothills for a new life and established businesses, schools, and cultural institutions. World War II threatened the very existence of this vibrant community, but many returned to rebuild their lives despite racial prejudices.

The Growth of Japanese Communities

Chinese immigrants were the first to create Asian communities in the mining camps of Placer County. They worked their own claims, started businesses, and labored on the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad. Chinatowns were established in towns like Auburn and Newcastle and grew as workers entered the burgeoning agricultural industry.

The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 halted Chinese immigration but prompted an influx of Japanese. These new arrivals settled, forming their own neighborhoods alongside the Chinese. By 1890, over 1,100 Japanese had settled in California, and ten years later the number had increased to over 10,000. There were over one hundred Japanese immigrants living in Placer County in 1900, with more staying in the foothills for seasonal work.

Many Japanese Issei, or first-generation immigrants, established themselves as farm workers. Landowners sought out immigrants at local Japanese boarding houses to procure cheap labor. Slowly, Issei began to accumulate land and money by working on contract or leasing property.

By 1909, the Japanese in Placer County leased approximately 164 farms and owned 11. In total acreage, they were farming a substantial portion of the County’s orchards which led to the growth of the local Japanese economy.

Racial exclusion prompted the establishment of specific Japantowns, or nihonmachi, especially in Penryn. The region’s first Buddhist church was founded there in 1902 and was eventually surrounded by Japanese-owned businesses. The church also functioned as a Japanese language school starting in 1911 which was followed by a second Japanese language school in Newcastle in 1916.

Buddhist Church Celebration 1952. Placer Buddhist Church

Background Image: Chinatown in Auburn. PCM Collection

Resistance and Racism

Growth was met with resistance. The Japanese communities in Penryn, Newcastle, Loomis, and Auburn expanded amidst an increase in anti-Japanese sentiment. A general and unfounded fear was pervasive: the success of the Japanese immigrant meant the failure of the competing farm worker.

The Roseville Register, March 9, 1911

“In view of the fact that the ‘little brown men’ are increasing in Placer county quite rapidly and engage in business for themselves…the following article from the Placerville Republican is worth considering: It is not the armed invasion of California by Japanese that the white race have most to fear…it is yet time to prevent the Japanese from gaining control of the fruit business of this county, but immediate action must be taken and sentiment aroused.” To many, the Japanese were “dangerous competitors” due to their efficiency and thrifty living.

“Racial prejudices manifested in subtle ways were always prevalent. Such incidents of injustice were often the subject of conversation in the Japanese community.” Tomeo Nakae

In 1913, the California State Legislature passed the California Alien Land Law, the first of two exclusivist laws to keep aliens from owning property. Specifically drafted to target the Japanese, the law denied “all aliens ineligible for citizenship” from owning land or leasing land longer than three years. The Issei continued their work but put businesses or land purchases in their American-born children’s, Nisei, names.

“We bought it a couple of years before the war broke out. My folks were aliens. They weren’t allowed to become citizens, and aliens in California couldn’t own land. This is what most of the Issei did: When my oldest brother got to be twenty-one, they used his name to purchase the land.” Shig Doi

By 1919, the Placer Herald reported that Japanese owned over 1500 acres in the county, three times the total acreage held ten years earlier. This was a major point of contention. Auburn’s representative in the Placer County Farm Bureau, J. A. Livingston, unanimously passed a resolution to appoint a committee to “investigate and report on the best and most feasible means of eliminating the evil of renting land…to aliens.” The Bureau attacked the Japanese, stating that they “cannot be assimilated; that the moral plane of these people who reside in California is beneath that of our own.”

Phelan 1919 Re-Election Pamphlet

The Bureau put their support behind Senator James Phelan in hopes that California’s representatives would “provide if possible for the complete exclusion of the Japanese.”

After World War I, new legislation prohibited Issei from leasing land, while the Immigration Act of 1924 ended Japanese immigration. This did not stop the continued growth of Placer County’s vibrant Japanese community. A variety of businesses were opened, including Kinichi Tsuda’s General Merchandise store in Auburn and M. Kawada’s Penryn Garage. Nisei children attended school, played sports, joined the Boy Scouts, and went to college.

Tsuda Grocery, PCM Collection

On the eve of World War II, it was estimated that Placer County had 300 Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) members, 200 non-members, 700 American-born Japanese residents under 21, and 700 Japanese aliens.

The Japanese immigrants and their American-born children were a vital part of the Placer County community.

Background Image: Japanese Community in the Auburn 49ers Parade 1936. PCM Collection

World War II

Auburn Journal, December 8, 1941

Everything changed on December 7, 1941. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor by Japanese aircraft, the U.S. War Department suspected that people of Japanese ancestry might act as spies and saboteurs. Immediately following the attack, Japanese bank accounts were frozen, assets were seized, community leaders were arrested, and potential “sympathizers” were investigated.

The response in Placer County, a strategic military zone with a significant Japanese population, was immediate.

Auburn Journal, December 8, 1941

The following day, the Auburn Journal featured articles in support of Japanese Americans. The Placer County Defense Council, under the direction of District Attorney Lowell Sparks, urged citizens to defend the nation, but clearly warned that “hysteria and race prejudice could work great injustice and injury on innocent loyal people.”

Auburn Journal, December 12, 1949

The JACL also released a statement that “Americans of Japanese extraction are 100-percent behind the National Defense Program, and we are undivided in our loyalty to the Stars and Stripes.” Jack Yokote, the past vice-President of the Placer County JACL echoed this sentiment. “I am 100 per cent for America First and see no reason to support an outside country. The quicker we fight the war to a successful conclusion for the United States the better.”

The community even took out a full page in the Placer Herald on January 3, 1942 to affirm their dedication to the United States.

Placer Herald, January 3, 1942

Despite these statements and pleas for tolerance, paranoia and racism overwhelmed Placer County.

Background Image: The sinking of the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor. National Archives and Records Administration.

Persecution

Immigrants from all enemy nations were forced to register in Auburn starting February 7th, but the Japanese were specifically targeted by authorities. Homes and businesses were searched, and community leaders were arrested with no evidence of wrongdoing.

Kinichi Tsuda, the owner of Auburn’s Japanese grocery, and Yonezuchi Yoshida, a Newcastle grocer and JACL president were both arrested. Sheriff Charles Silva helped the FBI conduct raids, posing for the Auburn Journal after a string of arrests.

Auburn Journal, February 2, 1942

“The honor of locking up the first two enemy aliens in a Placer County jail was claimed by Deputy Sheriff Kenison.” The two men were only guilty of owning a gun and camera.

On February 3, 1942, the Board of Supervisors passed a resolution asking that all enemy aliens be removed from Placer County.

Auburn Journal, February 14, 1942

An “Enemy alien” was not a person accused of or guilty of a crime, but a native, citizen, or subject of a foreign nation in conflict with the United States. The term applied to all citizens of Axis power nations, but Japanese immigrants and their American-born children were subject to additional restrictions and abuse.

Placer Herald, February 14, 1942

Background Image: Evacuated Penryn Property, WRA Bancroft

On the federal level, the main figure shaping policy toward the Japanese was General John DeWitt, the army administrator for the western United States.

General John DeWitt

DeWitt’s Military Intelligence Agency investigated incidents of purported sabotage to justify the exclusion or imprisonment of Japanese. However, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover ridiculed the supposed evidence as “hysteria and lack of judgment.”

Despite no proof of Japanese sabotage and against opposition from the Attorney General, DeWitt ultimately recommended the broad-scale removal of all Japanese, native-born, and alien, from the west coast.

“In the war in which we are now engaged racial affinities are not severed by migration. The Japanese race is an enemy race and while many second and third generation Japanese born on United State soil, possessed of United States citizenship, have become "Americanized," the racial strains are undiluted…The very fact that no sabotage has taken place to date is a disturbing and confirming indication that such action will be taken.” (Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians. 1997:6)

President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942, which allowed the military to exclude people from any military zone without a trial or hearing. While it did not specifically name people of Japanese ancestry, it created the necessary channels for internment. DeWitt subsequently established two Military Areas fully encompassing California, Oregon, Washington, and Arizona. and announced that certain “classes of person” would later be excluded from these areas.

Executive Order 9066

Internment occurred in four steps: construction, curfew, restriction, and exclusion. First, DeWitt established two “Reception Centers” and authorized the Army Corps of Engineers to begin construction on fifteen “Assembly Centers.” He then issued Public Proclamation No. 3, imposing a curfew on all alien enemies and Japanese American citizens. They were forced to remain in their homes between 8 p.m. and 6 a. m and were confined to within a 5-mile radius of their homes.

Auburn Journal, March 26, 1942

Proclamation No. 4 forbid anyone of Japanese ancestry living within Military Area No. 1 to leave without permission. Individuals and families were forced, under penalty of imprisonment, to remain in place as DeWitt began releasing specific Civilian Exclusion Orders. Each order gave the time, date, and control station for the Japanese to report to. The Japanese in Military Area No. 2 received orders from June to November 1942.

Evacuees in San Pedro. Library of Congress.

Background Image: Marysville Assembly Center.

The Realities of “Evacuation”

The removal of Placer County’s Japanese community members began started on May 7, 1942 with Civilian Exclusion Order 47 and 48. Individuals and families were ordered to report to Control Stations in Loomis.

“From noon today all of Placer County within the boundary of Military Area One and the special Prohibited areas of the county will be free of all Japanese. No Japanese will be permitted within the evacuated area.” -Auburn Journal, May 14, 1942

Background Image: The baggage of Japanese Americans from the West Coast, at a makeshift reception center located at a racetrack. Library of Congress.

Civilian Exclusion Order 48. Placer County Museums Collection.
Civilian Exclusion Order Instructions. Placer County Museums Collection.
Evacuation Order, Penryn Buddhist Church, WRA Bancroft.

In Placer County, Japanese leaders helped people organize their affairs and gather as many belongings as they could carry. They acted as interpreters, and helped settle transactions, as individuals and families were often forced to sell their belongings, property, and businesses, or find legal custodians. Aiko Sakamoto, who lived in Loomis, recalled how quickly they had to sell their possessions. “It came all of a sudden. We had to get rid of it, period.”

Placer Herald May 16, 1942

In Penryn, Heggblade and Marguelas entered into contract with local Japanese shippers to conduct their business in their absence, while The Placer Orchards was created to operate 600 acres of Japanese owned orchards. Only 14 Japanese owners and companies were covered in these contracts. For others, their non-Japanese neighbors came forward to help.

In Newcastle, Tomeo Nakae’s son Howard approached his long-time friend, Dan Macebo, for help. Dan, unable to serve in the war, came to the ranch. “He said, ‘Howard, I brought my clothes with me, I intend to stay until your family returns whenever that may be.’”

George and Shigeyo Yamasaki had struggled through the Great Depression to establish themselves in Auburn. They were forced to sell their nursery business for next to nothing and left their ranch on Kemper Road in the care of their friend George Boorinakis.

Setsuo Dairiki of Penryn was studying engineering at Stanford at the time of the order. While he wanted to graduate, he didn’t want to abandon his nine other family members. Stanford advanced his degree and Dairiki was granted special permission to enter Placer County to join his family on their journey to imprisonment.

Japanese Americans in front of poster with internment orders. Photo-Dorothea Lange. Records of War Relocation Authority.

From March to August, approximately 120,000 persons, nearly 2,000 from Placer County alone, were sent to “assembly centers.” There they were temporarily housed before being moved to a long-term relocation center. Nearly 70,000 of the evacuees were American citizens with no recourse to recoup their property and freedom.

Santa Anita Assembly Center 1942, Library of Congress

By November 1942, the economic and residential centers of Japanese life in Placer County were largely empty. Francis Stewart of the War Relocation Authority traveled through Penryn, Loomis, and Auburn, photographing the aftermath of internment. Homes, businesses, and farms were abandoned and boarded up. Some shops, such as the Yamada family’s Penryn grocery had been purchased and rebranded. The Yamada Grocery was now the Victory Market, operated by American-Chinese.

Yamada Grocery taken over and re-branded as the Victory Market in Penryn, WRA Bancroft

Stewart, while photographing “Slap the Jap with Iron Scrap” Burma Shave signs along the highway, noted that the “area was made up largely of people of Japanese ancestry prior to evacuation. Resentment of them is now widespread.”

Roadside Signs in Loomis, WRA Bancroft

Background Image: Exclusion Order, WRA, Bancroft.

Internment Camps

National Parks Service Map

“Relocation centers” were constructed in inhospitable and remote locations. They were built at Tule Lake, California; Minidoka, Idaho; Manzanar, California; Topaz, Utah; Jerome, Arkansas; Heart Mountain, Wyoming; Poston, Arizona; Granada, Colorado; and Rohwer, Arkansas.

Marysville Assembly Center

The Japanese from Placer County were first housed at the Marysville Assembly Center. Half-finished, the men, women, and children made their own beds and built baths from fifty-gallon oil drums. Construction was completed at Marysville, but they were moved again to Tule Lake Relocation Center for the remainder of the war.

Background Image: Mr. George Oni and his daughter Georgette Chize Oni bidding farewell to brother Henry Oni, Tule Lake; National Archives

Tule Lake Relocation Center, Newell, California. One of the high school buildings, National Archives and Records Administration

Each relocation center was designed as a self-contained community with medical facilities, office, schools, factories, and living quarters, all surrounded by guard towers and barbed wire fences. The Military Police and civilian staff were housed in separate living areas. Multiple families lived in tar-papered, army-style barracks with common facilities and shared bathrooms. Individuals could not own scissors, razors, or radios, and there was limited privacy.

Tule Lake Relocation Center, Newell, California, National Archives and Records Administration

Bunny Nakagawa, who was interned with his wife and son, recalled that “It was miserable. It was cold and muddy. And the whole family had to live in one room that was about 20-by-20 feet.” His son, who was seven at the time, was afraid Santa Claus wouldn’t find him amongst the identical barracks.

Those who were imprisoned worked, continued their education, and made the best out of the limited resources available to them.

Haro Uno from Loomis, at Tule Lake, 1943, WRA Bancroft
Inmates transplanting celery at Tule Lake, Library of Congress
Senior physics class in barracks, Rohwer Relocation Center, National Archives and Records Administration
“As I wandered through the blocks, I came to the outside perimeter whereupon I noticed the extra tall cyclone fence with barbed wire security fencing on top. As I glanced down the fence on each side, I noticed tall guard towers with soldiers on duty. The sight was a traumatic experience. Though I had experienced racial discrimination, I had firmly believed that I came to America because it was found on the principle of freedom. These barbed wires and guards did not look like freedom. That same feeling, a feeling of despair, fear, and confusion I experienced upon the loss of my husband again surrounded me.” Tomeo Nakae

Background Image: Tule Lake Relocation Center – Ambulance at Entrance, National Archives and Records Administration

Service During the War

Despite being imprisoned by the government, Japanese American men on the west coast were still eligible for the draft and military service. In Placer County, 116 men served in World War II, and two were killed in action.

Not only did they serve, but they were part of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team who were lauded for their exemplary conduct. Several men were awarded for their meritorious actions in combat. Lt. Okusako won an Army Silver Star, Sergeant Kay Kashiwabara and Private Kenry Yusa were awarded a Bronze Star, and Sanai Kageta was awarded in France. They earned their honors “among the most difficult terrain in the world.”

Shigeo Yokote 206th AGF Band, Yokote Family Album

Their dedication to the United States military did not free them from racial prejudice. Private Nishikawa and Corporal Doi, both serving in the Army, returned to Newcastle on leave to conduct business. Nishikawa received an unwelcome reception and was forced to leave the packing plant under threat of a disturbance while Doi had to be given protection from the military police at DeWitt General Army Hospital.

Auburn Journal, July 20, 1944

Background Image: Color Guard of 442nd RCT November 12, 1944 Courtesy of the USA Signal Corps

Anti-Japanese Sentiment

The removal of all Japanese, and the dedicated military service of some, did nothing to prevent the growing anti-Japanese attitudes in Placer County. In 1943, at the request of the Placer County Grand Jury, Assemblyman Allen Thurman introduced a Joint Resolution asking Congress to prohibit all Japanese, both alien and native born from owning, enjoying, using, or occupying agricultural lands in California or any other state. He also asked Congress to enact legislation to prohibit all Japanese from becoming citizens.

Auburn Journal, January 14, 1943

A 1944 letter to the Auburn Journal detailed the “growing resentment in and around Placer County against the return of Americans of Japanese ancestry.” The writer listed recent incidents that had occurred, such as the arson of homes belonging to interned Japanese and the Japanese School East of Lincoln. “The said vigilantes think they are doing their country good, when actually they are doing the worst thing they can for Americanism.”

Returning Home

At the end of 1944, the War Department lifted the West Coast exclusion orders and the WRA announced the upcoming closure of internment camps. In response, the Placer County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution stating that “[the board] unqualifiedly opposes the return to California of all Japanese, both alien and native born, excepting those in the armed services.” Only one member dissented, having wanted to also exclude all Nisei veterans.

The first Japanese American to return was 26-year-old Newcastle ranch owner and veteran Sumio Doi, and his elderly parents. His two brothers were still enlisted. For Doi, and many others, the war had only just begun. Efforts were made to strip them of their rightful property, bar them from businesses and boycott their stores, or use violence and intimidation to discourage their return. “In the name of peace and order, and also for the Japanese themselves, they should for the present, be kept out of here as they have been for the past two years.” This sentiment was echoed throughout the state.

Auburn businessman Charles De Costa was elected chairman of the newly formed Placer County Citizen’s Anti-Japanese League. Their first meeting was attended by over 250 people. The keynote speaker was John Livingston, who had formerly made his anti-Japanese sentiments well-known while on the Placer County Farmers Bureau.

“[They] did not come here to be an American. He was sent here by his treacherous government to extend the dominion of the Japanese empire…No, it is not his creed or the color of his skin that we object to, but the color of his heart that is black as ink and more treacherous than a rattlesnake…What would I like to see done with them? Just this: I would like to see every one of them go back to Japan and stay there and enjoy themselves in their own way and leave us to enjoy ourselves without them…To say it is our duty to civilize, humanize and Christianize the Jap is just bunk. If we must do something for them, let us sterilize them.”

Those that attempted to censure the group in support of their Japanese neighbors were often drowned out. The Placer County Anti-Japanese League evolved into California Preservation Association (CAP), a statewide organization with over 20,000 members. The CAP did “not approve of violence, intimidation or any other illegal action” but their language dehumanized their Japanese neighbors. The group supported efforts to strip landowners of their rightful property, remove their citizenship, and limit their resources. “They do not fit into the great American melting pot; they never have been a part of this country and never will.”

Placer Herald, May 12 1945

Background Image: Hollywood, CA, Courtesy of National Japanese American Historical Society

Fear & Violence

Japanese residents returned to face the precarious environment created by CAP and vigilante groups. George and Shigeyo Yamasaki, who had left their ranch in the care of a friend while interned, were the first victims of arson. “Just before we came back, somebody set fire to my house, and we didn’t have any house to come back.” The Makade’s home in Loomis followed, and then a meeting hall in Virginiatown.

Veteran Sumio Doi was the victim of an attempted arson and bombing at his ranch. When the first attempt failed, a group of men returned with dynamite. The men, some AWOL soldiers, were arrested and brought to trial, but were later acquitted. Rebuilding after acts of vandalism was delayed by the presence of “No Japs Allowed” signs, which had been distributed to businesses throughout the county.

Other residents first weighed the risks before returning. Shigeichi Kubo visited for a short time before deciding against moving his family home. Benji Takahashi took the advice of a local teacher and stayed away for six months before returning to re-open the Loomis Mutual Supply Company.

Loomis Mutual Supply Company, Library of Congress

The irony of it all was not lost on returning Nisei servicemen, who had risked their lives overseas against an enemy who had used similar tactics of persecution:

“I was risking my life for this country, and my government was not protecting my folks. And they came home from camp with nothing. Some guys would talk about how people were shooting at my family, and then one would say, ‘Hey, why are you here [in Europe] risking your life?’…All the way through, they wouldn’t even sell my parents anything. They wouldn’t sell them boxes to pack fruit. So my oldest brother had to go all the way to Sacramento to buy boxes. Then they wouldn’t handle my family’s fruit, so the family had to take it up to Sacramento to ship it out. By then, the three of us were in the service. After everything we went through - the evacuation, the war - sure you’re bitter. Somewhere in this corner I have a scar that will never be gone. If you hurt a person, you say something and you apologize, but that isn’t going to bring anything back. You’ve been hurt and the scar is there and it’ll stay there till the dying day.” -Shig Doi, Veteran of the 442nd Regiment.

Background Image: Evacuated Dairiki Ltd, WRA Bancroft

Recovery

Despite these challenges, the Japanese community of Placer County rebuilt their homes, businesses, and lives. Recovery was difficult, but farmers and business owners who returned sought out the neighbors and connections they had formed prior to the War. They relied on those individuals that knew them and were against the injustice of their situation. Some, like Lila Sasaki’s family, came back to a home and orchard that had been tended in their absence. “So we were one of the fortunate ones in that we didn’t lose the orchard.”

In 1951, the National Legislative Director of the JACL spoke at the Placer County chapter’s 11th Annual Banquet in Loomis. His message, to nearly 100 guests, was positive and optimistic for the future of Japanese Americans. The following year, the Placer Buddhist Church celebrated its 50th anniversary.

Pacific Citizen, December 1, 1978

Background Image: Buddhist church celebration 50th Anniversary, Placer County Buddhist Church

Reparations and Remembrance

The internment of 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry sparked contentious constitutional and legal debate. The Japanese community who was forcibly removed from Placer County, California, and the west coast had to contend with the social, political, and economic of repercussions of internment.

After years of civil rights work and campaigning to remove discriminatory laws and gain recognition, the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 was signed into law by President Reagan. The act was sponsored by Congressman Norman Mineta, who was interned as a child. Each surviving internee was granted $20,000 and an apology. Reagan started the ceremony by saying, “We gather here today to right a grave wrong.”

Frank Kageta, the director of the Placer County Chapter of the JACL believed “it was just about what we were after. It’s been a good 10 years.” Though he, and other survivors, would never forget the memories of internment.

Placer Herald, August 18, 1988

In Placer County, the first phase of a memorial to the World War II Nisei veterans was started at the Santucci Justice Center in Roseville in 2009. The plaque honors the history and sacrifices of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Their motto, “Go for Broke,” was used to name one of the streets at the Justice Center. Frank Kageta, Shig Yokote, Al Nitta, Norman Kamada, veterans of the 442nd, were at the dedication.

In 2013, the memorial was finished and dedicated. The Placer Buddhist Church donated a historical plaque detailing the history and dedication of “all World War 2 Era Americans of Japanese Ancestry.” A large bronze monument, “Rescue of the Lost Battalion,” was commissioned to commemorate the 442nd’s heroic rescue of the 1st Battalion of the 141st Infantry Regiment in the Vosges Mountains of France. Nearby is a black granite panel inscribed with the names of 149 Placer County WW2 Nikkei Veterans.

E. Ken Tokutomi, the project chairman, remarked “The memorial has taken four years to complete, but has been well worth the effort. This will be one of the finest monuments dedicated to that generation who gave so much, and it is here in Northern California, where the heritage of Americans of Japanese Ancestry (Nikkei) has been so significant to our country.”

Members of Placer Buddhist Church congregation unveiled the History Plaque donated by their church, Placer County JACL

The project continues today, through the Placer County Japanese American Citizens League, to fund and install further educational material at the memorial.

Background Image: President Ronald Reagan signing the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, Aug. 10, 1988, Washington, D.C., Courtesy of Densho, the Kinoshita Collection

The Japanese immigrants who came to Placer County in the 19th century formed a foundation for the thriving communities that they and their American-born children created throughout the early 1900s. Despite legal challenges, racism and intolerance, these individuals recovered in the face of enormous hardship. While 79 years have passed since their internment, their history is kept alive by the Japanese Americans living and working in Placer County today.