Minidoka Internment National Monument, National Historic Site in Hunt, Jerome County, Idaho, United States
Minidoka National Historic Site preserves the remains of the Minidoka War Relocation Center in Hunt, Jerome County, Idaho. Visitors see the entry guard station, waiting room and rock garden; a small marker stands beside the guard station, and a larger sign marks the intersection of Highway 25 and Hunt Road. The site lies in the Snake River Plain, a remote high desert area northeast of Twin Falls.
The facility opened in 1942 and held approximately 13,000 Japanese American people who were forcibly relocated by federal order. It operated until 1945 and represented one of the darkest chapters in American wartime history.
The site tells the story of Japanese American families who were held here during wartime and how they endured injustice and separation. The exhibits show their daily lives and resilience in the face of discrimination.
The site lies in the Snake River Plain, 20 miles (32 km) northeast of Twin Falls and just northwest of Eden, reached via Highway 25 and Hunt Road. Visitors see the remains of the entry guard station, waiting room and rock garden; a small marker stands beside the guard station. The terrain is open high desert just under 4,000 feet (1,220 m), so bring sun protection and sturdy shoes.
Internees built a complex agricultural system here, growing vegetables and raising livestock to supply the facility. This self-sufficiency became a way for people to establish a sense of normalcy amid their confinement.
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