Minidoka

MINIDOKA

Official name: Minidoka Relocation Center Location: Jerome County, Idaho
Coordinates: 42.68° N, 114.24° W Size of camp: 33,500 acres
Opening date: August 10, 1942 Peak population: 9,397
Date of peak: March 1, 1943 Closing date: October 28, 1945

Minidoka was one of three War Relocation Authority (WRA) camps built on Bureau of Reclamation public land. Located on the Snake River Plain of South Central Idaho, Minidoka was roughly sixteen miles to the East of Jerome, Idaho, in Jerome County. Minidoka experienced frequent dust storms and harsh seasonal temperatures. At its maximum population, there were over 7,318 inmates at Minidoka with most people from Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. In 1943, a number of individuals from Bainbridge Island, Washington, requested to be transferred to Minidoka from Manzanar. The population at Minidoka labored on Bureau of Reclamation irrigation projects in addition to filling labor shortages on local farms in the area.