Tag Archives: Poston

Photographs of Poston taken by teacher Mary Burford Courage, [ca. 1943-1945]. Included in this collection is a photograph that Mary Burford Courage took of Japanese rock gardens at Poston. Internees reworked the built environment of camps through architectural and landscaping revisions. Gardens and trellises became creative ways of distinguishing between identical barracks. Folk art expert Allen H. Eaton noted: “In some camps hardly a stick or stone was available; nevertheless, the note of beauty had to be achieved, and was achieved.” Mary Burford Courage Papers Related to the Poston Relocation Center (WA MSS S-2651), Box 1, Folder 16. WA, BRBL.

by Poston teacher Mary Burford Courage

Photograph of Poston Toy Loan Library taken by teacher Mary Burford Courage, [ca. 1943-1945]. To address the lack of toys within Poston, teacher Mary Burford Courage assisted the Junior Red Cross in decorating an empty barracks with wrapping paper to create a makeshift toy loan library. This communal collection allowed children to share and play with donated toys. Mary Burford Courage Papers Related to the Poston Relocation Center (WA MSS S-2651), Box 1, Folder 15. WA, BRBL.

Photograph by Poston teacher Mary Burford Courage

“Life at Poston, One of Largest Jap Relocation Centers,” Los Angeles Times, June 8, 1943. Mary Burford Courage Papers Related to the Poston Relocation Center (WA MSS S-2651), Broadside folder. WA, BRBL.

Los Angeles Times Article – June 8, 1943

Junior Red Cross Scrapbook, Poston I Elementary School, 1944 On page ten of this Junior Red Cross scrapbook is a drawing of the fourth-grade citizenship program, in which a blonde student sits among her Japanese American classmates. This student was most likely the daughter of a Poston administrator or teacher. Some teachers worked in the camps as conscientious objectors and lived and worked alongside internees, albeit in higher-quality accommodations. United States War Relocation Authority Collection (MS 803), Box 2. MSSA.

Poston I Elementary School, 1944

Campus Echoes Yearbook, Parker Valley High School, Poston, 1944-1945. Despite the circumstances, yearbooks from internment resemble any other American yearbook. Yet, the Campus Echoes editors still featured a photograph of rows of barracks as their yearbook lining. A few pages later, its editors begin a photographic vignette by "looking back over our two years in a relocation center," reminiscing about the "many things" that "will remain outstanding in our memories." United States War Relocation Authority Collection (MS 803), Box 1. MSSA.

Parker Valley High School, Poston, 1944-1945

Charter of the Community of Poston, [c. May 1943] This 1943 charter represents the mixed Issei/Nisei Community Council’s initial draft for Poston camp governance. Records Related to the Community Government at the Poston Relocation Center, Arizona (WA MSS S-2650), Box 1, Folder 25. WA, BRBL.

1943 Charter for community government at Poston

Handmade watercolor Christmas card from Poston Agricultural Department, [n.d.] Mary Burford Courage Papers Related to the Poston Relocation Center (WA MSS S-2651), Arizona, Box 1, Folder 17. WA, BRBL.

From Poston Agricultural Department