Today we drove west from Panamint Springs in Death Valley into the Owens Valley. Owens Lake once covered 110 square miles here, but in 1913 the city of Los Angeles diverted its water causing an ecological disaster in the Valley. In 1998, Los Angeles accepted responsibility for its actions, and is currently repairing much of the environmental damage.
We drove north along the eastern Sierra Nevadas to the Manzanar National Historic Site. Following Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, Manzanar was one of ten camps constructed by the US government to inter Japanese-Americans living in Washington, Oregon and California. A total of 120,000 Japanese-American citizens were confined under primitive conditions behind barbed wire and under constant guard; 10,000 of them at Manzanar. Manzanar closed in 1945 and most of it was leveled by the government.
A scale model of the massive complex.
Two current views of the site of the camp.
The main assembly hall now houses National Park Service
offices and a museum.
One of the guard towers.
Several strands of barbed wire that encircled the entire camp.
In an effort to bring civility to their harsh existence, internees planned and built a fish pond and several water gardens.
They also planted extensive orchards. Two apple trees, offspring of the original apple orchard, remain, still bearing fruit.
One-hundred and fifty people died during the camp’s three-year existence and remain buried here. In 1943, internees constructed the “Soul Consoling Tower” which was used as a focal point for religious services during their internment. Today it is the focal point of a large annual pilgrimage.
As we returned to Death Valley we were able to see Mt. Whitney through the haze. Mt. Whitney is the highest point in the lower 48 states, but the Earth's curvature makes it appear lower here. It is the peak with the small, toothy point in the middle.
We crossed the northern end of Death Valley to Stovepipe Wells, where we will spend two nights,…
…and saw more beautiful rock formations on the way.
Incredible land formations, fantastic colors, sad history. Thanks for sharing it.
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