City of Riverside California City of Riverside California City of Riverside California Human Resources
:: Reading the Walls - Lesson 1

Letters from Haruto Shimazu

Before his family was evacuated to Poston, Arizona, Haruto Shimazu was a student at Colton High School in Southern California.  He wrote letters back to his favorite teachers and classmates in Colton describing his experiences in Camp.

 

List for the Evacuees

This list of items families should take with them to Camp and this brochure welcoming new internees to Topaz were found at the home of the Harada family when its contents were archived by the City of Riverside in 2002.

 

"Welcome to Topaz"

Some members of the Harada family went to the Topaz Relocation Center in Utah while others were sent to the Poston Relocation Center in Arizona. The environments of the two camps were very different and internees would have packed different things to make life there more comfortable.

Barracks Interior

A typical interior of a barracks home.

Photo by: Tom Parker (11/18/42)

Landscaping

Landscaping done by evacuee residents of camp No. 1 (Poston, AZ).

Photo by: Francis Stewart (12/31/42)

Living Quarters

Living quarters of evacuees of Japanese ancestry at this War Relocation Authority Center (Poston, AZ).

Photo by: Fred Clark (6/1/42)

Topaz Relocation Center

Looking down a main thoroughfare at the Topaz Relocation Center.

Photo by: Tom Parker (10/18/42)

 
The Harada House Story
  1. The Lemon Street House
  2. Japanese are Evacuated During WWII
  3. The Internment Camps
  4. Sumi Returns to Her Family Home
  5. Site Preservation
  6. Collections Preservation
  7. Community Outreach
  8. Support Opportunities
  9. PDF of All Photos (21.9M)
Reading the Walls
Lesson Resources
Lesson 1
Oral Interviews
Lesson 3
Oral Interviews
Visiting Harada House
Due to its fragile condition, Harada House is not open to the public.