"During World War II, this camp was considered the 10th largest city in Colorado. Today, the camp has a resident population of 0, a lonely, desolate place covered by scrubby vegetation and small cacti. Most of the buildings have been removed -- except one -- a pumphouse beside a water tank, still used. Now, besides the lone building, one sees only old cement foundations of the former buildings. Visitor signs have been posted to show the former locations of schools, clinics, dining halls, laundries, a fire station, and other buildings. Officially named the Granada War Relocation Center, or, informally, Camp Amache (named after a Cheyenne Indian chief's daughter), it was home to as many as 7,318 Japanese Americans who were unwillingly removed from their homes along the west coast of the United States during the height of World War II. The camp was one of ten that were created for national security reasons by the Roosevelt Administration following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941. Each person was only allowed to bring one bag before leaving, forcing many to sell or give away possessions, including pets. The camp itself was spread across a low hill and was surrounded by barbed-wire fencing with eight machine-gun towers." Archaeologists Return to World War II Japanese American Internment Camp | Popular Archaeology - exploring the past
