POSTON PRESERVATION PROJECT UPDATES: 2015

9/13/15

Recent meeting

Here's some pictures from today's Poston Comunity Alliance Board Meeting with the Poston Monumemt Committee in Sacramento....

Marlene

John, Jim, and Bob

John, Sid, Jim, Margie, and Kiyo

Sid, Jim, Margie, Kiyo, May, Roberta, and Bob

May, John, and Roberta

Welcome our new Board member, Margie Namba!

9/9/15

Donated photos

Poston camp 2

The Cottonwood Bowl

Photo credit: David Conlin

Adult Education Class in the Cactus Garden

Photo credit: David Conlin

Poston camp 2

Photo credit: David Conlin

Giant Scorpion

Photo credit: David Conlin

9/6/15

Miles E. Cary High School 1945 Graduation

Poston Camp 2

7/15/15

News Release

...National Trust for Historic Preservation

Awards Poston Community Alliance

A Preservation Grant Towards a Historic Structures Assessment

Report for Stabilization of Adobe Classrooms.....

Washington DC, July 15, 2015 —Today, the Poston Community Alliance was awarded a $ 10,000 grant by the National Trust for Historic Preservation from Hart Family Fund for Small Towns. These grant funds will be used to prepare a Historic Structures Assessment Report to preserve the adobe classrooms at the Poston site.

"Organizations like the Poston Community Alliance, help to ensure that communities and towns all across America retain their unique sense of place," said Stephanie Meeks, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "We are honored to provide a grant to the Poston Community Alliance, which will use the funds to help preserve an important piece of our shared national heritage."

Grants from the National Trust Preservation Funds range from $2,500 to $5,000 and have provided over $15 million since 2003. These matching grants are awarded to nonprofit organizations and public agencies across the country to support wide-ranging activities including consultant services for rehabilitating buildings, technical assistance for tourism that promotes historic resources, and the development of materials for education and outreach campaigns.

For more information on National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Preservation Fund grants, visit: www.PreservationNation.org/funding

About the Poston Community Alliance

The mission of the Poston Community Alliance is to preserve the stories, artifacts and historic structures of the Poston Confinement Site located on the Colorado River Indian Tribes Reservation.

About the National Trust for Historic Preservation

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately-funded nonprofit organization that works to save America’s historic places to enrich our future. The National Trust for Historic Preservation is committed to protecting America’s rich cultural legacy and helping build vibrant, sustainable communities that reflect our nation’s diversity.

6/13/15

What's Happening.....

Update report from our Project Manager,

Marlene Shigekawa

Just returned from Poston to meet Barbara Darden, and expert on Historic Preservation, Rehabilitation, Historic Architecture, and Jedediah Williamson, Structural Engineer and expert on adobe, who are compiling information on the Poston I Elementary School adobe classrooms. They are such experts and doing a superb job in preparing our Historic Structures Assessment !

5/26/15

This past Memorial Day weekend

Domo arigato gozaimasu (THANK YOU) to these "angels" who cleaned-up the Poston Memorial Monument and kiosk site....

Here's what they found......

And some beautiful surprises like this.....

And unfortunately, an ugly surprise like this......

Thank you for leaving a "special tribute" to our fallen heroes who never made it back home.....

Domo arigato gozaimasu!

Photo credit: Mary Hernandez

Some pages from the past

Thanks to those who shared the Poston High School yearbooks with us...

Here's a page from the Post Ano, 1945 Yearbook

(Poston camp 1)

Here's one page from the "El Chapparal" 1943 Yearbook

(Poston camp 2)

Here's a page from the Poston 3 High School

"Campus Echoes" Yearbook, 1944

Here's a page from the Parker Valley High School (Poston 3)

"Campus Echoes" Yearbook, 1945

5/2/15

Former camp 3 prisoner turns 100


Ed Nagata, Poston 305-13-H

Ed and his work mule 1945

Edward H. Nagata was the eldest of 10 children and grew up near Dinuba, California. He graduated Dinuba High School in 1934. He won 2nd-place and received a Silver Medal at a Tulare County long jump track meet. He was a pitcher for organized baseball with other young Japanese American nisei in the Central Valley.
Nagata purchased a 40-acre farm in Kingsburg and, in 1941, he married Miss Lily Abe. He raised and harvested watermelons, Thompson raisin grapes, plums, nectarines and peaches.

World War II interrupted his farming life in Kingsburg. In August 1942, he was forced to leave behind his farm and unharvested crops. They were put on a train with armed guards to Parker, Arizona. He and his wife were incarcerated at the Poston, Arizona concentration camp 3. In early spring 1943, he and his pregnant wife were released to travel to Idaho, where he worked at a livestock slaughter house. His eldest son, Ron, was born there. Later, they moved to eastern Oregon to raise onions, potatoes, sugar beets and cabbage. After the war ended, he and his family returned to his Kingsburg farm.

Ed harvesting plums. Summer 1945

For the next 60 years, Nagata harvested his vineyards and orchards as his major source of income. For a few years, Nagata ventured into raising cantaloupes and cotton. His agribusiness extended to mechanical picking of cotton fields within the Kings River Community and expanded to 60 acres, as the Nagata Ranch of grapes and fruit trees.

Mr. & Mrs. Ed Nagata and son, Ron, back home in Kingsburg. 1945

Pictured are his wife's parents, Mr. & Mrs. K. Abe and their son, Franklin.

4/23/15

Photo of the month

Police Department

Notice the very distinctive tiered-roofing,

used only at the Poston, Arizona concentration camp site

4/20/15

Seeking descendants of Shigemi & Chizuko Uyeda...

Updated: 4/21/15 Family relative has been found!

Received this message on Facebook from our friends

at the Minidoka Pilgrimage Planning Committee:

Apr 19th, 3:16pm

Was wondering if anyone is familiar with this Poston family.... Shigemi and Chizuko Uyeda [Poston block 19]... They were from Lancaster CA... Son Theodore passed in 1991 in San Diego. Has two daughters names unknown right now...

The Rago Auction protest has brought a cool item of of hiding.... A photography trophy from 1925 to who we believe to be Shigemi. It was awarded from Iwata business... I know possessions from prewar times are rare and Shigemi would go on to being a well known early CA Nikkei photographer.... The person who has it would like it returned to the family. Thanks if you can help. Any contact help would be appreciated.