Gila River War Relocation Center
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HistoryEstablished in May 1942 as the Gila River War Relocation Center (WRC) run by the civilian War Relocation Authority (WRA). The relocation centers were not considered by authorities to be either concentration camps or internment camps but the perception was otherwise. Barbed wire fencing enclosed most of the living area, the guard towers with searchlights and the military police were always visible in many of the centers. Gila River WRC was different, the watchtowers and the barbed-wire were soon gone. Even the standard center buildings were sheathed in white beaverboard instead of black tarpaper. The roofs were doubled to provide a barrier from the sun and, according to some accounts, were painted red. In some cases evaporating cooling units, commonly known as "swamp coolers", were provided. The Gila River WRC was clearly the showplace of the War Relocation Centers and on 23 Apr 1943, it was inspected by the President's wife Eleanor Roosevelt who spent some six hours at the facility.
Canal CampThe Canal Camp was a narrow 210-acre area three blocks by nine blocks in the southeastern part of the center. The South Side Irrigation Canal ran along the northern side of the camp. Firebreaks divided the camp into three groups of nine blocks each. The blocks were numbered from 1 to 27. Each of the 17 residential blocks included fifteen 20' by 100' barracks, a 40' by 100' mess hall, a men's latrine and shower building, a women's latrine and shower building, a laundry room, an ironing room, and a recreation building. These buildings were all temporary military style Theater of Operations (TO) structures of wood frame construction except that the outer walls were sheathed in white beaverboard instead of black tarpaper and the roofs were double roofs painted red. Other Canal Camp FacilitiesCentrally located north of Block 5, between the residential area and the Canal, was a 40' by 120' admin building and a fire station. Canal Camp itself included 404 buildings, 44 of which were devoted to administration and hospital use. These facilities were located in three blocks on the east side of the camp. A bit further east was a separate compound for the military police. Canal Camp closed on 28 Sep 1945. Butte CampButte Camp was the larger of the two camps covering some 790 acres on the northwest side of the center. The blocks in the camp were numbered from 28 to 81 with two narrow firebreaks. Each of the 36 residential blocks included fifteen 20' by 100' barracks, a 40' by 100' mess hall, a men's latrine and shower building, a women's latrine and shower building, a laundry room, an ironing room, and a recreation building. These buildings were all also temporary military style Theater of Operations (TO) structures of wood frame construction except that the outer walls were sheathed in white beaverboard instead of black tarpaper and the roofs were double roofs painted red. Other Butte Camp FacilitiesThere were 627 resident buildings listed, 46 were used as schools, 6 for churches, and 29 for other community services. Block 42 was used for community services including offices, churches, a shoe repair shop, a sewing shop, a laundry and dry cleaning, a barber shop, a beauty shop, a canteen, a store, and a "diet kitchen." Four buildings in Block 42 were used for staff apartments. Block 41 was an elementary school and Block 43 was a high school. North of Block 43 the residents built an auditorium and three classroom buildings for science, home economics, and vocational arts. Seven vacant blocks were used for athletic fields, playgrounds, and other facilities. Butte Camp featured a top-notch baseball complex designed by professional baseball player Kenichi Zenimura that included dugouts, bleachers, etc that could accommodate up to 6,000 spectators. Butte Camp Closed on 10 Nov 1945. Current StatusThe Canal and Butte Camp sites are located on the Gila River Indian Reservation. The Reservation Cultural Center is located north of the camp sites at Exit 175 of Interstate 10. There is an exhibit and outdoor display about the relocation center prepared by the Arizona Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League. Inside the Cultural Center, the exhibit includes text, maps, historical photographs, and artifacts from the camps. The outdoor display includes information similar to that on memorial markers present at each of the two camps. A Canal Camp memorial marker is located near the remains of the administration building at the flagpole base. The memorial includes a map and historical photograph of the camp and some of the history. At the Butte Camp site two markers were placed at the servicemen's honor roll monument.
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