Historical Marker: Salinas Temporary Detention Center

This marker recognizes the 3,586 individuals of Japanese descent who were temporarily detained during World War II when this location was home to the Salinas Rodeo Grounds. After President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, the federal government required Japanese Americans throughout the West Coast to report to detention centers regardless of citizenship. From locations such as this, where human beings were detained in hastily-built wood structures. American citizens and recent immigrants awaited assignment to more permanent internment camps. Salines Temporary Detention Center was home to over thirty-five hundred people from area communities from April to July 1942. Following temporary confinement, most individuals sent here were moved to the internment camp in Poston, Arizona. This detention center had an active community government and many recreational programs. This small marker was dedicated in 1984 by the State Department of Parks and Recreation, the Japanese American Citizens League, and the City of Salinas.

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December of 1941 created widespread fear among citizens and military officials, and legitimate concerns for national security, especially on the West Coast. At the same time, many Americans expressed their fears through the lens of existing prejudices against people of Japanese descent. In February of 1942, President Roosevelt issued an executive order that called for the relocation and internment of Japanese Americans along the West Coast. On March 29, 1942, Lieutenant General John L. DeWitt of the Western Defense Command issued Proclamation No.4, which initiated the forced detention of people of Japanese descent with a 48-hour notice. Many of these individuals lost all of their private belongings and property when this occurred unless they were able to make arrangements quickly.

From March to August, under the pretense of “public danger,” approximately 110,000 people were sent to temporary detainment centers before being relocated to permanent camps, where many people spent the next three years. In 1988, Congress passed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 which recognized the injustice of internment and offered some financial compensation for those who lost property owing to the forced location. 

The Salinas Detention Center was located at the Salinas Race Track and Fair Grounds, about five miles north of downtown Salinas. Around 142 buildings were erected next to the racetrack by the Dale Brothers and Doudell Construction Company, contacted by the Wartime Civil Control Administration (WCCA). The buildings were numbered consecutively and subdivided into smaller living quarters, typically 20 x 20 feet in size. One of the issues cited with these structures was the lack of window screens and cracks in the floor, making the rooms cold. Initially, latrines were merely wooden pits with dirt floors, which were not waterproof. Later, the latrines were replaced with flushable toilets. The Salinas camp was soon filled with human waste owing to the lack of an adequate sewage system. The Salinas camp also failed to provide adequate food in its early months, but eventually, the eight mess buildings were able to serve about 500 people each day.

The majority of the camp population arrived from areas surrounding Salinas, including Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties. The first detainees arrived between April 27 and April 30, 1942. Three weeks later, a population of 800 arrived at the camp from San Benito County and Santa Clara County. Those detained here were mostly rural farmers who had previously experienced anti-Japanese sentiment from competing farmers and agricultural interests. The peak population at the camp was 3,594, with two deaths and thirteen births. Nearly a month after the last individuals arrived at the camp, they began transferring to Poston Internment Camp. This transfer took place in seven segments, with each segment moving around 500 inmates. Following the closure of the Salinas Detention Center, the site was used for troop housing, a small neighborhood park, and the Salinas Community Center. 

Most of the staff came from the Works Progress Administration, and approximately 30% were hired locally. Additionally, camp members worked 44-hour weeks, paid on an $8-$16 per month scale. The camp had an 18-member council, with one representative for every 7-8 barracks appointed by their fellow detainees. These representatives were all male and included a mixture of farmers, business owners, and doctors. The council met every Monday night to convey any issues or complaints to the government's appointed leaders, although there were few resources to address concerns.

The assembly center offered little in the form of formal education for children and others detained here. However, detainees created a system of volunteers who operated educational programs, although they lacked qualified instructors or supplies. Nonetheless, the center held tri-weekly classes with two sections of 30 children each who met in kitchens, laundry buildings, or the library. There was a camp infirmary, however, this facility also suffered from a lack of supplies and qualified staff. By May 26^th, the infirmary included three doctors, three nurses, two student nurses, twenty nurse’s aids, two dentists, and two pharmacists-all inmates. Salinas also had a camp library which became a popular meeting place. The library consisted of five connected rooms with about 450 books donated by the county library. The library had an art exhibition once, featuring paintings done by camp members. The camp also had a circulating newspaper that published eight weekly issues. Additionally, Salinas had a recreation program, including softball teams, a sumo tournament, orchestras, and bridge clubs. 

Niiya, Brian. Salinas (Detention facility), Densho Encyclopedia. December 30th 2020. Accessed November 13th 2021. https://encyclopedia.densho.org/Salinas_(detention_facility)/.

Baker, Craig. Salinas Temporary Detention Center, The Historical Marker Database. January 25th 2021. Accessed November 13th 2021. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=165487.

Japanese-American Internment During World War II, National Archives. July 8th 2021. Accessed November 13th 2021. https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/japanese-relocation#toc-primary-sources.