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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.

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