Record Detail

People of Sacramento Archive

Caption: Vacated homes in Japantown after relocation in May, 1942.

Date: May 16, 1942

Historical Context: On May 7, 1942 the Sacramento BEE ran a story headlined "All Japanese Must Get Out of Sacramento." By May 13th, the BEE reported that the first of 3,800 Japanese-Americans left for the Walerga Assembly Center aboard buses from Memorial Auditorium. By May 16th, the removal of all Japanese aliens as well as American citizens of Japanese ancestry from Sacramento had been completed. What had been a thriving community in Sacramento's Japantown became an area where the streets were lined with empty buildings with "for sale" and "for rent" signs nailed up.

Ethnic Group: Japanese

Place: 1400 Block of 4th Street in Japantown, Sacramento

Events: Relocation during World War II

Names/Biographical Data: n.a.

Key Words: pressure, discrimination

Image Number: To see a larger version of this picture, see image number 2702 and select the full-size image.

Objects/Items of Note: Homes and apartment building on right, each with "for sale" or "for rent" signs affixed on the fronts.

Image Credit: SMHD, Eugene Hepting Collection.