Summary
Organization name
Amache Preservation Society
Address
Amache Preservation Society P O Box 259 Granada, CO 81041-0259Granada, CO 08099
Photo courtesy of George Ochikubo CollectionThe Granada Relocation Center
(later renamed AMACHE) was the site where more than 7000 Americans of Japanese Ancestry—many of them American citizens—were unjustly incarcerated during WWII. Their only crime was their Japanese ancestry.
Today, it is a historic site where we preserve and interpret the stories of the people who lived through the experience.
The Amache Preservation Society has been instrumental to the site's preservation:
- Preserving crucial structures
- Recreating parts of the site
- Providing interpretation and education
- Operating a museum in nearby Granada
- Bringing visitors to the site, primarily through the annual Amache Pilgrimage.
Join us in continuing this important work of preserving the site and making it accessible to visitors.
Amache was constructed on a dusty, dry swath of land in the southeast corner of Colorado, just a few miles from the town of Granada. The original incarcerees came primarily from California's Central Valley. Others came from the northern coast and southern Los Angeles.
Newman's Drug Store, Granada, CO. (Courtesy of George Ochikubo collection.)
Amache was unique among the 10 Japanese American Confinement Camps for several reasons. Its close proximity to Granada provided considerable interaction between the inmates and the community. Amache also had the highest rate of military volunteerism of all the camps. A total of 953 men and women from Amache volunteered or were drafted for military service during WWII. The incarcerees also operated a successful silkscreen print shop that served contracts for the military but also served as an artistic pursuit that provided a graphic record of life in the camp.
Silkscreen image of the Amache water tower.Since the closing of Amache in 1945, several individuals have come together in a grassroots effort to commemorate the site and experiences of those who lived the Amache experience. The first Pilgrimage to the site was in 1976. Under the banner of the Amache Preservation Society, this coalition has conducted preservation, education, and advocacy for the site. In recent years, projects have included the preservation of the iconic water tower, the reconstruction of a guard tower and a barrack, the return of an original recreation building, and advocacy for the inclusion of Amache as a National Historic Site.
Visits to the site are encouraged today, with a map and corresponding audio guide entries available. Due to the land being owned by the town of Granada, it has remained largely accessible. Granada High School students, under the leadership of Principal John Hopper, have contributed several volunteer projects, including the operation of the Amache Museum. In addition, the University of Denver has been conducting a long-running research project that includes an interactive story map.
For more information on the work being done by the Amache Preservation Society, visit Amache.org
Organization Data
Granada, CO 08099