Pictorial Travel Diary - Day 2 - Gardens
"Manzanar had hundreds of lawns, but only one lawnmower.
The WRA purchased this push mower at a hardware store in Lone Pine.
Pleasure Park was a sanctuary of beauty and solitude at Manzanar. Constructed in 1943, the three-acre park contained small lakes, bridges, and a teahouse, and was a popular setting for weddings, birthdays, and farewell parties. It was later renamed Merritt Park in honor of Project Director Ralph Merritt.
Victory gardens were prevalent at Manzanar and across wartime America. Internees grew flowers, vegetables, and ornamental plants on 20’ by 50’ plots in the firebreaks. The gardens provided traditional Japanese vegetables and allowed internees to show their patriotism.
GARDENS
In October, 1942, the Manzanar Free Press observed, ‘Six months ago Manzanar was a barren uninhabited desert. Today, beautiful green lawns, picturesque gardens with miniature mountains, stone lanterns, bridges over ponds…attest to the Japanese people’s traditional love of nature.’
Over four hundred landscape professionals came to Manzanar in 1942. In a matter of months, they transformed the bleak camp environment. Internees planted lawns, trees, and flowers near their barracks and created mess hall gardens to relieve the boredom of standing in line at mealtime. ‘It just gave you a good feeling. Even though we were confined, people cared about themselves and about their surroundings,’ recalled Arthur Ogami.
Often the WRA supported ‘improvement’ projects with funding, materials, and equipment. When Project Director Roy Nash once allowed internees to use a WRA truck to gather Joshua trees near Death Valley, some Owens Calley residents protested the ‘waste’ or fuel and rubber.
Most of Manzanar’s mess hall gardens were of traditional Japanese design, constructed with jagged stones collected from the Inyo Mountains east of camp.
Stonemason of Manzanar
Before the war, master stonemason Ryozo Kado created elaborate shrines and grottos for the Los Angeles Catholic archdiocese. His trademark was creating ‘faux wood’ with concrete. At Manzanar, Kado and his crew constructed some of the camp’s most enduring structures, including the sentry posts, hospital garden, and cemetery monument. Each family in Manzanar contributed fifteen cents to buy cement for the monument. Louis Kado, a Manzanar High School student, assisted his father and recalled, ‘We ran out of daylight hours, so I held a lamp so my father could finish the cement work. People saw the light moving around the cemetery and thought it was a ghost.’"
The WRA purchased this push mower at a hardware store in Lone Pine.
Pleasure Park was a sanctuary of beauty and solitude at Manzanar. Constructed in 1943, the three-acre park contained small lakes, bridges, and a teahouse, and was a popular setting for weddings, birthdays, and farewell parties. It was later renamed Merritt Park in honor of Project Director Ralph Merritt.
Victory gardens were prevalent at Manzanar and across wartime America. Internees grew flowers, vegetables, and ornamental plants on 20’ by 50’ plots in the firebreaks. The gardens provided traditional Japanese vegetables and allowed internees to show their patriotism.
GARDENS
In October, 1942, the Manzanar Free Press observed, ‘Six months ago Manzanar was a barren uninhabited desert. Today, beautiful green lawns, picturesque gardens with miniature mountains, stone lanterns, bridges over ponds…attest to the Japanese people’s traditional love of nature.’
Over four hundred landscape professionals came to Manzanar in 1942. In a matter of months, they transformed the bleak camp environment. Internees planted lawns, trees, and flowers near their barracks and created mess hall gardens to relieve the boredom of standing in line at mealtime. ‘It just gave you a good feeling. Even though we were confined, people cared about themselves and about their surroundings,’ recalled Arthur Ogami.
Often the WRA supported ‘improvement’ projects with funding, materials, and equipment. When Project Director Roy Nash once allowed internees to use a WRA truck to gather Joshua trees near Death Valley, some Owens Calley residents protested the ‘waste’ or fuel and rubber.
Most of Manzanar’s mess hall gardens were of traditional Japanese design, constructed with jagged stones collected from the Inyo Mountains east of camp.
Stonemason of Manzanar
Before the war, master stonemason Ryozo Kado created elaborate shrines and grottos for the Los Angeles Catholic archdiocese. His trademark was creating ‘faux wood’ with concrete. At Manzanar, Kado and his crew constructed some of the camp’s most enduring structures, including the sentry posts, hospital garden, and cemetery monument. Each family in Manzanar contributed fifteen cents to buy cement for the monument. Louis Kado, a Manzanar High School student, assisted his father and recalled, ‘We ran out of daylight hours, so I held a lamp so my father could finish the cement work. People saw the light moving around the cemetery and thought it was a ghost.’"
posted by Nana @ 17:58
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