PINEDALE
| Official name: | Pinedale Assembly Center | Location: | Pinedale, California |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coordinates: | 36.84° N, 119.80° W | Opening date: | May 7, 1942 |
| Peak population: | 4,792 | Date of peak: | June 29, 1942 |
| Closing date: | July 23, 1942 |
Northwest communities sent to Fresno
Pinedale stood north of Fresno, only a short distance from the separate detention center at the Fresno fairgrounds. Many of the people held at Pinedale had traveled much farther: the Army brought Japanese Americans from western Washington and Hood River, Oregon, as well as the Sacramento area.
Unlike fairground camps adapted from existing buildings, Pinedale consisted of newly constructed facilities. Its brief operation, from May to July 1942, left limited provision for schooling and medical care. Most people from the Pacific Northwest were transferred to Tule Lake, while many from California went to Poston.
Sources: Densho Encyclopedia · Pinedale
Across the assembly centers
Following their forced removal from the West Coast (described by the government as “evacuation”), Japanese Americans were initially confined in temporary detention centers called “assembly centers” before their eventual assignment to one of ten incarceration camps in the interior, officially designated “war relocation centers” and operated by the new civilian agency, the War Relocation Authority (WRA). The fifteen hastily constructed temporary detention centers known as “assembly centers” held the 92,000 individuals of Japanese ancestry forcibly removed under Executive Order 9066.
The table and the collection below cover all fifteen assembly centers. Each object’s caption identifies the people, places, and events it documents. Its place on this page does not assign it to this center.
| “Assembly Center” | Maximum Population | Dates Occupied |
|---|---|---|
| Fresno, CA | 5,120 (Sept. 4) | May 6 – Oct. 30 |
| Marysville, CA | 2,451 (June 2) | May 8 – June 29 |
| Mayer, AZ | 245 (May 25) | May 7 – June 2 |
| Merced, CA | 4,508 (June 3) | May 6 – Sept. 15 |
| Pinedale, CA | 4,792 (June 29) | May 7 – July 23 |
| Pomona, CA | 5,434 (July 20) | May 7 – Aug. 24 |
| Portland, OR | 3,676 (June 6) | May 2 – Sept. 10 |
| Sacramento, CA | 4,739 (May 30) | May 6 – June 26 |
| Puyallup, WA | 7,390 (July 25) | April 28 – Sept. 12 |
| Salinas, CA | 3,586 (June 23) | April 27 – July 4 |
| Santa Anita, CA | 18,719 (Aug. 23) | March 27 – Oct. 27 |
| Stockton, CA | 4,271 (May 21) | May 10 – Oct. 17 |
| Tanforan, CA | 7,816 (July 25) | April 28 – Oct. 13 |
| Tulare, CA | 4,978 (Aug. 11) | April 20 – Sept. 4 |
| Turlock, CA | 3,661 (June 2) | April 30 – Aug. 12 |
