Document Type

Thesis

Date of Degree Completion

Summer 2024

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Cultural and Environmental Resource Management

Committee Chair

Karl Lillquist

Second Committee Member

Sterling Quinn

Third Committee Member

Craig Revels

Abstract

In the study of Japanese American relocation centers, much of the emphasis is put on the centers while they were still active detention centers, and not what happened to them after they closed. The buildings of the centers often were not scrapped and landfilled but removed and repurposed in the farms and towns surrounding the former center sites, and now blend into their current environments.

I built a comprehensive inventory of buildings that were part of the Minidoka Relocation Center, the site of which is now a National Historic Site. I compiled their former uses within the center, current uses, distance from the Historic Site, remaining historic architectural features, current condition, and historical integrity.

Most of the former Minidoka buildings were given with federal land units during two auctions in 1947 and 1949. The majority of them lie within 15 miles of the Historic Site, and all lie within 45 miles of it. The majority of buildings are rural, which aligns with them being given with land units. The majority of buildings with high historical integrity are within the Hunt community (close to the Historic Site), which is where most of the land units were located. However, the largest category of historical integrity is low, which aligns with the number of farmhouses and urban buildings. This information is available for the creation of interpretive projects for the Historic Site by the National Park Service, such as visitor center exhibits, brochures, or driving tours.

Download

Share

COinS