In the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor in December of 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued on February 19th, 1942, Executive Order 9066--which designated military zones along the United States coast and directed the army to remove all residents of Japanese ancestry from these areas. The president then created the War Relocation Authority (WRA), a federal agency tasked with caring for the approximately 110,000 Japanese-Americans uprooted by Executive Order 9066. The WRA saw to the planning and construction of long-term internment camps located in the interior of the country where the displaced population would be held for the duration of World War II. Two of the selected sites were located in the Arkansas Delta, one at Rohwer in Desha County--which operated from September 18, 1942-November 30, 1945--and the other at Jerome in sections of Chicot and Drew counties--which operated from October 6, 1942-June 30, 1944. The internment camps at Rohwer and Jerome would incarcerate over 16,000 Japanese-Americans between October 1942 and November 1945.
This collection exhibits materials from school administrators and superintendents, pastors, teachers, social welfare workers, and WRA administrators associated with the internment camps. Materials also source from the Homer Adkins’ gubernatorial papers, articles from the McGehee Times and Dermott News, and the official closing roster of the Rohwer Relocation Center.
All materials within this online exhibit are available for research at the Arkansas State Archives. These items were digitized by the Arkansas State Archives as part of a joint project entitled “Rohwer Reconstructed,” overseen by the University of Arkansas’ Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies and funded in part by a grant from the National Park Service through the Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant Program.
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Newspaper article, "Name School Heads for Jap Centers"
Article discussing the naming of school heads for the Japanese American Relocation Centers in Arkansas.
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Newspaper article, "New Officers Are Elected by Legionnaires: L.C. Clinton is Named Commander of Claude E. Jaynes Post No. 79"
Article discussing an American Legion meeting in which they discussed the building of the Japanese-American relocation centers.
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Newspaper article, "Nisei Enlist in U.S. Forces: Japanese Eager to Fight for Uncle Sam"
Newspaper article discussing Nisei enlistment into the United States military.
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Newspaper article, "No Decision On Japanese Colony At Jerome: War Department Expected To Make Announcement In Few Days"
Newspaper article discussing the War Department's decision to build a second Japanese American interment camp in Arkansas.
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Newspaper article, "No Industries for Japanese: Resettlement Next Step for Evacuees"
Newspaper article discusses the resettlement of Japanese Americans into industrial centers around the United States from relocation centers.
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Newspaper article, "Norrell Talks to Rotarians: Praises Citizens for Cooperation on Jap Camps"
Article discussing Congressman Norrell speaking to Rotary Club Members about Japanese-American internment in Arkansas.
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Newspaper article, "Oversees Building of Japanese Camps"
Article discussing A.M. Niemz's part in the development of the relocation centers in Arkansas.
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Newspaper article, "Pacific Coast is Now Free of Last Jap: 99,770 Japanese Have Been Moved Inland in Mass Evacuation"
Article discussing the beginning of the relocation movements of Japanese Americans from the West Coast.
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Newspaper article, "Papers are Published by the Japanese"
Newspaper article discussing publications produced by interned Japanese Americans at Rohwer and Jerome relocation centers.
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Newspaper article, "Plans Being Drawn Rohwer Jap [sic] Center: Construction Crew Now Engaged in Preliminary Grading, Ditching"
Article discussing the beginning of construction at Rohwer Relocation Center.
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Newspaper article, "Plans for Jap [sic] Camps Being Pushed"
Article discussing the completion of plans for Rohwer Relocation Center
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Newspaper article, "Police Heads Names for Jap [sic] Colony"
Newspaper article discussing the police force at Rohwer Relocation Center.
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Newspaper article, "Progress Being Made On Jerome Jap [sic] Project"
Newspaper article discussing progress made on the construction of Jerome Relocation Center.
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Newspaper article, "Prosecutor In Statement On Jap [sic] Incident Here"
Newspaper article about an assault on a Japanese-American soldier by a local citizen.
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Newspaper article, "Rohwer Relocation Center"
Newspaper article discussing updates with internees at the Rohwer Relocation Center.
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Newspaper article, "Rohwer Relocation Center"
Newspaper article discusses updates with internees at the Rohwer Relocation Center.
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Newspaper article, "Rotarians are Guests of Rohwer Camp: Talented Japanese Entertain Visitors"
Newspaper article discussing a visit from the Rotary Club to the Rohwer Relocation Center.
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Newspaper article, "Rotary Proposes Naming Jap [sic] Camp for Rev. Denson"
Newspaper article discussing the Dermott Rotary Club's proposal to name the Jerome Relocation Center "Denson" in honor the Reverend Nick Denson.
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Newspaper article, "Select Fire Chief for Jap [sic] Colony"
Newspaper article discussing the selection of a fire chief for Jerome Relocation Center.
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Newspaper article, "Services at Jerome for Japanese"
Newspaper article discussing Episcopal services at Rohwer Relocation Center and their pastor.
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Newspaper article, "Several Thousand Japs [sic] To Arrive By End Of The Week"
Article in the Dermott News of the arrival of several thousand Japanese Americans at relocation centers in Arkansas.
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Newspaper article, "'Slap-A-Jap' [sic] Club Sponsored By Legion"
Article discussing the formation of a club to secure pledges for war bonds and stamps.
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Newspaper article, "Social Season Opens at Rohwer Camp"
This article discusses a dance being hosted at Rohwer Relocation Center.
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Newspaper article, "Spear is Named 'Jap' Postmaster"
Article discussing B.W. Spear being appointed postmaster for Rohwer Relocation Center.
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Newspaper article, "These Japanese Evacuees"
Reprint of an article from the Arkansas Gazette discussing the circumstances under which the Japanese Americans were being relocated.