Special Collections Research Center
spcoll@wm.eduFinding Aid Authors: Anne T. Johnson.
Administrative Information
Conditions Governing Use:
Before reproducing or quoting from any materials, in whole or in part, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.
Conditions Governing Access:
Collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.
Preferred Citation:
Colorado River Relocation Center Scrapbook, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.
Acquisition Information:
Purchase.
Processing Information:
The contents of the scrapbook were removed from the scrapbook for preservation reasons. The original order of the materials was maintained.
Scope and Contents
Scrapbook believed to have been created by a female employee of the Colorado River Relocation Center in Poston, Arizona. The collection includes photographs, a poem, programs, correspondence, and other material. The Colorado River Relocation Center is also known as the Poston Relocation Center and was one of the internment camps created for Japanese Americans and Japanese nationals by the U.S. government during World War II. Poston is located in present day La Paz County, Arizona. The woman who created this scrapbook, which has been disassembled, is presumed to have been a white federal employee. Any assistance in identifying the creator and individuals in the photographs would be welcomed. Contact the Swem Library's Special Collections Research Center at spcoll@wm.edu or 757-221-3090.
For images of the scrapbook see online link and for a more detailed description see folder link below.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
- Scrapbooks
- World War, 1939-1945--Japanese Americans
- World War, 1939-1945--United States--Scrapbooks
- World War, 1939-1945--Women--United States
Container List
- Mixed Materials Small Collections Box 5 folder: 1 id97651
Scrapbook1943-1944Scope and Contents
The collection includes an undated handwritten description of Poston, Arizona, which makes reference to earlier, mostly unsuccessful attempts to settle the town. A letter dated July 20, 1944, is written to Duncan Mills, Project Director, from Pauline Bates Brown, Reports Officer of the Colorado River Relocation Project, requesting a Junior Reports Officer to assist with clerical work. The photographs in the collection are mostly of a woman or a group of women in what appears to be Colorado with some photographs of Japanese-American internees in groups, performing on stage, and some groups of those presumed to be employees and internees. Subjects include: Snow scenes, woman in bed and at window of brick house, women sitting in front of housing units, women with horses, three women beside a river and inside a photo booth, family groups, women in the city, group of 20 Japanese-American young people, a stage set for a performance by the Japanese American young people, Grandview Hotel, pueblo ruins, and small group and individual photos of Japanese-American prisoners. Only one photograph is labeled, "Marie and Dorothy." Additional items in the scrapbook: "Amusements, Where to Go and What to See, Atlantic City" brochure for the week of December 23, 1944; a program for "Porter, Please," written and produced by Masqueraders, December 10-11, 1943; and a program for the "Political Platform Luncheon, Basic Recreation Class No. 25, American University," November 4, 1944, with the names of women attendees on the cover. Four employment bulletins from the Red Cross are in the collection: Red Cross, "General Guide for Selecting Recreation Workers for Service in Hospitals of the Army and Navy"…Women, June 1943; Red Cross, "General Guide for Selecting Recreation Workers for Able-Bodied Troops on Military Posts and Naval Stations" …Women, June 1943; Red Cross, Employment Opportunities, November 1943; Red Cross, "General Guide for Selecting Assistant Program Directors, American Red Cross Clubs Overseas…Woman," June 1943.