Lower Colorado River

Not far from the memorial to the internment camp, a building that almost certainly was part of the original internee quarters on the camp. After the internment camps were closed, the buildings were turned over to the local communities and many were converted to other uses. This building is of the same shape and construction of internment camp buildings, including having a very large open interior and the foundation of vertical beams resting on concrete pads. One difference from other internment camp buildings in other areas is that the original buildings usually had exteriors of simple tar paper; it looks like this one may have had wood siding added at some later date.

Not far from the memorial to the internment camp, a building that almost certainly was part of the original internee quarters on the camp. After the internment camps were closed, the buildings were turned over to the local communities and many were converted to other uses. This building is of the same shape and construction of internment camp buildings, including having a very large open interior and the foundation of vertical beams resting on concrete pads. One difference from other internment camp buildings in other areas is that the original buildings usually had exteriors of simple tar paper; it looks like this one may have had wood siding added at some later date.

Not far from the memorial to the internment camp, a building that almost certainly was part of the original internee quarters on the camp. After the internment camps were closed, the buildings were turned over to the local communities and many were converted to other uses. This building is of the same shape and construction of internment camp buildings, including having a very large open interior and the foundation of vertical beams resting on concrete pads. One difference from other internment camp buildings in other areas is that the original buildings usually had exteriors of simple tar paper; it looks like this one may have had wood siding added at some later date.

Not far from the memorial to the internment camp, a building that almost certainly was part of the original internee quarters on the camp. After the internment camps were closed, the buildings were turned over to the local communities and many were converted to other uses. This building is of the same shape and construction of internment camp buildings, including having a very large open interior and the foundation of vertical beams resting on concrete pads. One difference from other internment camp buildings in other areas is that the original buildings usually had exteriors of simple tar paper; it looks like this one may have had wood siding added at some later date.

A tribute to the Japanese-Americans who volunteered for military service despite the relocation act, including the names of 25 from the Poston camp who died in service. The quote on the top of the plaque: “To all men and women who honorably served in the United States Armed Forces in defense of this nation and its people, particularly to those Americans of Japanese ancestry, who, during World War II, fought so valiantly for their country while their parents and families were being interned in the Poston War Relocation Center without due process of law.”

The fourth plaque, considering the breaks in the concrete, it was apparently chipped off.

A depiction on one of the plaques, in bronze, of a part of the camp.

A brief description of the internment, from 1942 to 1945, of 17,867 persons of Japanese ancestry at the Poston War Relocation Center (internment camp). From the center of the plaque: “This memorial is dedicated to all those men, women and children who suffered countless hardships and indignities at the hands of a nation misguided by wartime hysteria, racial prejudice and fear. May it serve as a constant reminder of our past so that Americans in the future will never again be denied their constitutional rights and may the remembrance of that experience serve to advance the evolution of the human spirit”

The memorial for the internment camp. A simple, but elegant, monument with room for 6 plaques (1 of the plaques is missing) describing the internment.

A monument to the Japanese Internment Camp built in Poston, AZ during WW II. The monument was built by the Colorado River Indian Tribes, former internees at Poston, military veterans, and others. The Colorado River Indian Tribe Reservation was created in 1865 for the Indians of the area (the Mohave and Chemehuevi); Hopi and Navajo Tribes were moved to the area as war relocation (Japanese internment) camps were built on Indian reservations at the beginning of WW II. The kiosk in front describes construction of the monument, the structure in the middle is dedicated to the internees. As is the case with other internment sites across the west, the site is poorly marked on the highway and its location is not promoted, thus few travelers are likely to visit the site and begin to grasp the enormity of the US actions against US citizens of Japanese ancestry during WWII.

Detail of the art deco design of Parker Dam, as seen from the Lake Havasu side. See description in nearby picture.

Parker Dam seen from the Lake Havasu side. See description in nearby picture.

Parker Dam, started in 1934 and finished in 1938. Construction of the dam was protested by Arizona because the water from the reservoir above the dam (Lake Havasu) was scheduled to go only to the Metropolitan Water District which serves Southern California cities. After the dam was completed, an agreement was reached to pump water from Lake Havasu to Arizona as well as to California. Due to the depth of the canyon here, the dam is considered to be the deepest dam in the world, though the majority of the 320 foot face of the dam is below the water line. The water on this side of the dam is Lake Moovalya, an 11 mile stretch of the river created by Headgate Dam near the original town of Parker.

Generating plant and transmission grid at Parker Dam. Electricity from Parker Dam, along with electricity from other nearby dams on the river, provide electricity for the major urban areas of Arizona as well as for areas near the river in California and Nevada.

Colorado River. On the right side of the river is Buckskin Mountain State Park.

A resort / RV park on the California side of the Colorado River, across from Parker, AZ.

A resort / RV park on the California side of the Colorado River, across from Parker, AZ.

On the Colorado river at Parker.