Tour: Minidoka National Historic Site Visit

In 1941, the attack on Pearl Harbor by imperial Japanese intensified existing hostility towards Japanese Americans. As wartime hysteria mounted, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 forcing all persons of Japanese ancestry to leave their homes, jobs, and lives behind. In total over 120,000 Japanese Americans were unjustly incarcerated during WWII. 

A former American concentration camp in Idaho, Minidoka now stands as a memorial to ensure this never happens again. Between September 1942 and October 1945, the Minidoka Relocation Center held some 13,078 people Final Accountability Roster of the Minidoka Relocation Center, 1945). There were 489 births and 193 deaths at Minidoka, which constituted the 7th largest city in Idaho during its operation. 

Today the site preserves the historic entrance area and replica guard tower, an Honor Roll, the replica fence, the swimming hole, the fire station, the visitor center, the root cellar, the baseball field, a barrack and mess hall.

Join City Club of Boise for an in-person guided tour with a National Park Ranger at the Minidoka National Historic Site on Friday, September 9, 2022 beginning at 11:00 a.m. 

Minidoka National Historic Site, 1428 Hunt Road, Jerome, ID 83338

This event is free for City Club members and guests.

*Terminology and the Mass Incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II