minidoka internment national monument

Many of the buildings no longer exist, and most of the Site is now private property. You can still see some of the original fence from 1942 along the river, as well as some of the building foundations. The visitor's center is shared with the Hagerman Fossil Beds NM center. You can get more information and a map of the grounds there. Nice short walking trail with some interpretive signs.

A work in progress - it's relatively new. Inspiring walk through the grounds showing remains of the internment camp for Japanese Americans in WWII. Unfortunately the helpful interpretive signs were defaced by too much bird drippings. Quiet and well worth the visit.

Returning home from a visit to Yellowstone National Park from Seattle took us by Jerome ID and the exit to this place. Several of my cousin's family's spent time at Minidoka. Seeing it for the first time it is hard to put into words the emotions that represent a dark time for the family members who were taken from their lives in the city and locked into a then desolate rural area. Not a lot of facilities here, self guided walking tour with solar powered kiosks with oral history's of people whose lives were impacted first hand by the powers of the time to live here till war's end. Did not know the immense size of this facility over 30,000 acres of which 9,000 acres for barracks housing 9000+ people. The preserved site itself looks only to be 50-100 acres or so the rest seems to be under cultivation now as irrigated farmland. Late evening arrival did not allow for visit to the visitors center at the Fossil Beds, so that has to be done another day.

The de facto visitors center for Minidoka Internment National Monument is located approximately 40 miles west at the visitors center at Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument in Hagerman, Idaho. The Hagerman center features a display of photographs and everyday items used at Minidoka, as well as a bookstore that offers several books and pamphlets devoted to Minidoka and other internment centers. On-site interpretation at the Minidoka site east of Jerome is provided mostly by signs and markers. Apparently, NPS's long-term plan for Minidoka includes building a visitors center at the Minidoka site.

I have always enjoyed learning about World War II. In the last year I have learned that this war touched Idaho in ways I had no idea about. Last summer I learned about a naval base in Northern Idaho called Faragut State Park. This summer I learned about the Minidoka internment camp. This camp was used for Japanese Americans who lived in parts of Oregon, Washington, and Alaska who were forced to come to Idaho to live. It is very humbling to walk around where they lived and to see what conditions were like. One thing that I would love to see one day there is the buildings repilcated where you can actually see what it would have been like to live in such a circumstance. This was truly out in the middle of nowhere in Idaho so you can feel the isolation they felt. I look forward to seeing more buildings rebuilt.

Set in the middle of nowhere, in the Idaho desert, visitors can really experience the isolation of Japanese prisoners during WW2. There is no visitor's center and no one else there, so when I was there I was the only person for miles around.... it was actually a very poignant experience to walk around, read the signs, listen to recorded first-hand accounts, and feel the loneliness of this camp. I hadn't planned to go, but it was not far out of my way, and I'm so glad I did.

I VAGUELY remember discussing this camp in my college American History class. Very little was taught about it and since visiting this location I've tried to research the Minidoka Internment Camp and can find very little about it. I learned more about it touring the camp then I was ever taught in school. The camp is about 13-15 miles from I-84. Follow the National Park signs and it will lead to a small parking lot where you can begin the self guided tour. There are two parts to this site. The first beginning at the parking lot Just follow the trail and interpretive plaques (about 1.6 miles around the camp) Take the crosswalk across the street for the second tour. The trail is level (gravel- not wheelchair accessible). This site completely outdoors, depending on the time of year you may need a light jacket in the winter and early spring and summer I recommend light clothing, sunscreen, a hat and water. I recommend comfortable walking shoes. There are no facilities at this site, no restrooms. This site doesn't have many of the original buildings left, but the ones that remain are well preserved and a few are being restored.This dark part of our history should not be forgotten. I hope to see more of the remaining buildings restored. This monument did not have a ranger or visitor center. The visitor center is located at the Hagerman Fossil Beds. This monument is a symbol of one of America's dark chapters in history that should never be repeated and never to be forgotten.

Touring the Internment Camp is a great way to spend an afternoon. The 1.6 miles of trails are lined with interpretive plaques telling the story of the nearly 10,000 Japanese Americans interred there between the years 1942 and 1945. This not to be forgotten chapter of American history chronicles how mass fear and hysteria led to the deprivation of Constitutionally protected rights of American citizens in the name of "national security". The walk around the grounds brought a feeling of connection with the internees. Though most of the buildings are gone, there is enough of a representative sample to invoke a solemn feeling. If you want a richer experience, contact the national park service in Hagerman, Idaho to arrange for a ranger guided tour. (208) 837-4793 Ranger Carol Ash guided our tour and it was spectacular.

This is just starting to get restored and put back. There were lots of interpretive signs to tell the story. The park covers a lot of ground, and the trail is 1.6 miles ling, but you can see a lot just driving from the first parking lot, to the second where there is a crosswalk and park and see the buildings. Go to the visitor center in Hagerman first.It is really disgusting what we did to American citizens just because we could identify them easily. This is a monument and a reminder that we should never let it happen again, an ugly reminder of our past.

This is one of the Japanese Internment Camps and an interesting insight to how these folks lived during WWII. There are remains of barracks and nice walking paths to take you through the history of this area.

You have to drive out of the way but if you want some very interesting WWII history, then take the trip to Hunt. You can see the remains of the camp and many of the old barrack buildings are still in use today around Jerome County such as many are County owned at the Jerome County Airport.

There's not much there now, but many are working toward restoring this site. There is an annual trek by the folks and families of those who were interred here during WWII. Fascinating. The visitor center is several miles away at this time, in Hagerman, where there's a lot of information available.

This is a relatively new site for the NPS. We enjoyed the walking paths and the wayside exhibits. You really feel how "alone" those sent there must have felt.

My wife and I visited this monument and learned quite a bit we did not know about the internment of Japanese ancestry individuals during World War 2. We got a vivid sense of the hard times these blameless people went through due to war time hysteria.

Those who don't learn history are condemned to repeat it. Every American should learn about this place. The site has more to see than other internment sites I've visited; still, not much left. But there are some remains, the fence, good interpretive signs, and a nice walking path. Still has a bleak, isolated kind of beauty, and the weather, as in the 1940s, can be extreme.