Manzanar National Historic Site
The Manzanar National Historic Site is a stirring reminder of a period in our history that should not be forgotten. During World War II over 10,000 Japanese American citizens and resident Japanese aliens (men, women and children) spent all or part of the war detained in the Manzanar War Relocation Center. It was one of ten such camps in the US that, in total, interned almost 120,000 people during WWII.
The Manzanar Visitor Center, and a few remaining original structures, are in a large tract of land (814 acres of an original 6,200 acres) just 6-miles south of Independence. The center has 8,000 square feet of exhibits, a bookstore, and a theater that shows the award winning 22-minute documentary, Remembering Manzanar. A centerpiece of the exhibit is a large graphic with the names of over 10,000 Japanese Americans who spent many years in this detention facility. Among its other exhibits is a large-scale model of the Manzanar War Relocation Center crafted by former internees.
The facility was designated as a National Historic Site in 1992 and is managed by the National Park Service.
Manzanar, Manzanar Reward Rd, California
(760) 878-2194
