ASSEMBLY CENTERS
Following their “evacuation” from the West Coast, internees were initially placed in temporary “assembly centers” before their eventual assignment to one of ten “war relocation centers” in the interior operated by the new civilian agency, the War Relocation Authority (WRA). The fifteen hastily constructed “assembly centers” served as temporary camps for the 92,000 individuals of Japanese ancestry forcibly removed under Executive Order 9066.
| “Assembly Center” | Maximum Population | Dates Occupied |
|---|---|---|
| Fresno, CA | 5,120 (Sept. 4) | May 6 – Oct. 30 |
| Marysville, CA | 2,451 (June 2) | May 8 – June 29 |
| Mayer, AZ | 245 (May 25) | May 7 – June 2 |
| Merced, CA | 4,508 (June 3) | May 6 – Sept. 15 |
| Pinedale, CA | 4,792 (June 29) | May 7 – July 23 |
| Pomona, CA | 5,434 (July 20) | May 7 – Aug. 24 |
| Portland, OR | 3,676 (June 6) | May 2 – Sept. 10 |
| Sacramento, CA | 4,739 (May 30) | May 6 – June 26 |
| Puyallup, WA | 7,390 (July 25) | April 28 – Sept. 12 |
| Salinas, CA | 3,586 (June 23) | April 27 – July 4 |
| Santa Anita, CA | 18,719 (Aug. 23) | March 27 – Oct. 27 |
| Stockton, CA | 4,271 (May 21) | May 10 – Oct. 17 |
| Tanforan, CA | 7,816 (July 25) | April 28 – Oct. 13 |
| Tulare, CA | 4,978 (Aug. 11) | April 20 – Sept. 4 |
| Turlock, CA | 3,661 (June 2) | April 30 – Aug. 12 |