Sacramento (detention facility)
US Gov Name | Sacramento Assembly Center, California |
---|---|
Facility Type | Temporary Assembly Center |
Administrative Agency | Wartime Civil Control Administration |
Location | Sacramento, California (38.5667 lat, -121.4833 lng) |
Date Opened | May 6, 1942 |
Date Closed | June 26, 1942 |
Population Description | Held people from Sacramento and San Joaquin Counties, California. |
General Description | Located about fourteen miles northeast of downtown Sacramento, California. |
Peak Population | 4,739 (1942-05-30) |
Exit Destination | Tule Lake |
National Park Service Info |
Open for just fifty-two days—but with most inmates spending only around a month there—the Sacramento Assembly Center had the shortest lifespan of any " assembly center " other than Mayer , Arizona. The inmate population that peaked at 4,739 came almost entirely from the Sacramento area, and conflicts and discord within that community came into the camp, where discord between the appointed inmate leadership and the general population emerged. Inmates also faced particularly poor conditions including pit latrines and buildings that were misshapen due to the uneven ground and poor construction, as well as a camp that was largely unfinished as inmates moved in. Essentially the entire population of the camp—which was also known as "Walerga"—was transferred to Tule Lake by the end of June 1942.
Site History/Layout/Facilities
Last updated June 11, 2025, 7:47 p.m..