WASHINGTON — Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland on Feb. 15 formally established Amache National Historic Site in Colorado, following the Town of Granada’s acquisition and donation of the land needed to establish the nation’s newest national park.
Amache’s establishment came as the nation prepared for the Day of Remembrance of Japanese American incarceration during World War II, recognized each year on Feb. 19.
President Biden signed the Amache National Historic Site Act in March 2022, designating the Amache site as part of the National Park System. That designation, which was the first in the National Park System during the Biden-Harris Administration, and last week’s formal establishment will permanently protect the site for future generations and will help tell the history of Japanese American incarceration during World War II.
“As a nation, we must face the wrongs of our past in order to build a more just and equitable future. The Interior Department has the tremendous honor of stewarding America’s public lands and natural and cultural resources to tell a complete and honest story of our nation’s history,” said Haaland, who visited the Amache site in February 2022. “Today’s establishment of the Amache National Historic Site will help preserve and honor this important and painful chapter in our nation’s story for future generations.”
Amache, also known as the Granada Relocation Center, was one of 10 incarceration sites established by the War Relocation Authority during World War II to detain Japanese Americans forcibly removed from the West Coast under the terms of Executive Order 9066, which was signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on Feb. 19, 1942.
More than 10,000 people were incarcerated from 1942 to 1945 at Amache, which housed 7,310 incarcerees at its peak, two-thirds of whom were U.S. citizens. Today, Amache joins six other national parks already established that preserve and interpret this painful chapter of American history.
“Amache’s addition to the National Park System is a reminder that a complete account of the nation’s history must include our dark chapters of injustice,” National Park Service Director Chuck Sams said. “To heal and grow as a nation we need to reflect on past mistakes, make amends, and strive to form a more perfect union.”
Amache’s historic building foundations and road alignments are largely intact, preserved through the years by Amache survivors and their descendants, the Town of Granada, the Amache Preservation Society, and other individuals, institutions and organizations.
Currently, the site consists of a historic cemetery, a monument, concrete building foundations, a road network, and several reconstructed and restored structures from the World War II era, including a barrack, recreation hall, guard tower and water tank.
Amache was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on May 18, 1994, and designated a National Historic Landmark on February 10, 2006.
The National Park Service will continue to work with the groups to preserve Amache and expand scholarship and public awareness of its history.
In addition to the now seven national parks that recount the unjust incarceration of Japanese Americans, the NPS administers the Japanese American Confinement (JACS) grant program. Since 2009, the NPS has provided?more than $41 million through the grant program to private nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, state, local and tribal governments, and other public entities to fund 302 projects throughout the country. The grant recipients leverage federal dollars with their own resources to develop partnerships that identify, preserve and interpret significant stories and sites.
The NPS extends its appreciation to the National Park Foundation, Town of Granada, Amache Alliance, and Amache Preservation Society for their support and contributions to achieving this milestone.
The Amache National Historic Site’s Foundation Document provides an overview of the park and its history. More information about the site and how to plan a visit is available at the NPS website, www.nps.gov.
Congressional Comments
Reps. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) and Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), alongside Sens. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), welcomed the announcement from the Department of Interior.
“I am proud to see that Amache National Historic Site is officially a unit of the National Park System,” stated Buck. “Located in southeastern Colorado, Amache is a chilling reminder of the injustices committed against Japanese Americans during World War II. Ensuring that Amache is preserved so that future generations can visit and learn from those tragic errors is critical to building a better future.”
“The story of Amache is an important one. And today’s establishment of the Amache National Historic Site further safeguards this landscape and its cultural heritage for future generations,” said Neguse. “The community advocates, survivors, and descendants we worked with to secure this designation view Amache as a place of reflection, remembrance, and healing – it is our intention to honor their wishes and to continue to tell their stories.”
“The forced removal of Japanese Americans to incarceration facilities like Amache during World War II is a shameful, dark period in American history and one that we must never forget,” said Bennet. “Today’s announcement is a testament to the survivors, descendants, and advocates who kept alive the memory of Americans who were interned there. We have a responsibility to carry their legacy forward, and I’m grateful that today’s designation will finally deliver the recognition and resources that Amache deserves.”
“What we choose to preserve for future generations is a statement of our values. The story of Amache is one every American should learn and refuse to repeat,” said Hickenlooper.
In May 2018, Buck, Bennet, and Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) introduced the Amache Study Act to assess Amache’s historical significance and determine the feasibility of adding the site to the National Park System. It was signed into law by President Trump in 2019.
In 2021, Buck, Neguse, Bennet, and Hickenlooper introduced the Amache National Historic Site Act, which Biden signed the following year, to recognize Amache as part of the National Park System.