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Densho Encyclopedia

Salinas (detention facility)

US Gov Name Salinas Assembly Center, California
Facility Type Temporary Assembly Center
Administrative Agency Wartime Civil Control Administration
Location Salinas, California (36.6667 lat, -121.6500 lng)
Date Opened April 27, 1942
Date Closed July 4, 1942
Population Description Held people from the Monterey Bay area of California.
General Description Located at the north end of the town of Salinas, California.
Peak Population 3,594 (1942-06-23)
Exit Destination Poston and Tule Lake
National Park Service Info

The Salinas Assembly Center was located at the Salinas Race Track and Fair Grounds at the north end of Salinas. The third least populous of the " assembly centers " with a peak population of 3,594, its inmate population consisted almost entirely of Japanese Americans from nearby agricultural communities including Watsonville, Salinas, and Gilroy. Despite being open for a short sixty-nine days (April 27 to July 4, 1942), it had an active community government under camp manager E. A. Rose and many recreational and educational programs. Nearly the entire population of the camp was transferred on to Poston between June 28 and July 4, 1942.

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