Oak Creek Relocation Centre
A Japanese-American internment camp, located in Oak Creek in Beacon County.
History
The camp was created in 1942 to support the Tule Lake Relocation Centre, which was experiencing severe overcrowding. It was constructed in Oak Creek around the existing Eichen House Sanitorium, which had been requisitioned by the U.S. to serve as the medical center for the camp.
The intention was that it would become a second major relocation center, serving northern California, but a viral pneumonia outbreak delayed the planned expansion.
Following the Oak Creek Massacre and Nogitsune Massacre, which killed all but a handful of staff and prisoners, a decision was made to erase all records of the camp, under the guise of preserving wartime morale.
The deceased were listed has having succumbed to illness while working or inprisoned at Tule Lake, and all records relating to the camp were destroyed or marked as the highest level of classified, accessible only to senior government or military officials.
RUINED SETTLEMENT
14th February 1943
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