(Community council)
(Excerpts from the Daily Log of the WAR RELOCATION AUTHORITY Central Utah Relocation Project, Project Reports Division, Historical Section. Topaz, Utah)
SEPTEMBER 29
516 ARRIVE — 516 former Tanforan residents arrived in the City.
POLE BREAKS— A telephone pole “broke in half at the western end of Building 9 in Block 12. No one was hurt by the accident, but the low wires brought danger while repairs were being made.
HEAVY DUST — Another heavy dust storm invaded and hovered over the City, forcing the residents indoors.
SEPTEMBER 30
TEMPORARY COUNCIL— Eight block representatives to the temporary Community Council were inducted at Dining Hall 5. With the following oath, Project Director Ernst swore them into office: ”I solemnly pledge, as a member of the Community Council of Topaz, State of Utah, to uphold the Constitution of the United States and the related laws thereof. I further pledge my ideals, devotions and energy to the common welfare of all residents of this community; and to insure that my efforts will not be contrary to the basic principles of human rights.” 200 residents and administrative staff members were present.
[Am I missing something? The U.S. government made people swear an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States and not violate the “basic principles of human rights”–people who had been forcibly removed from their homes by said government, lost their businesses, and had their entire families incarcerated without charges or trial, based solely on their country of ancestry?]
OCTOBER 1
HIROTA NAMED — Dr. Carl Hirota* and Ernest Iiyama were chosen chairman and secretary, respectively, by the Community Council in a pre-inauguration session.
513 ARRIVE — Six hours behind schedule, 513 new arrivals from Tanforan reached Topaz at 6:30 p.m. Breaking precedence, the newcomers ate their dinner before being inducted. The train was delayed four times to give the troops the right of way. Everyone was housed by 10 p.m.
HOUSING AID — The housing committee, including Claude Cornwall and Arthur Eaton, worked until midnight to aid the many residents who arrived this morning. The newcomers had difficulty in obtaining adequate mattresses, blankets, and comforters.
58 BEET WORKERS — The first group of 58 sugar beet workers left this afternoon at 1:30 p.m. for Cache County. They will be employed by the Amalgamated Sugar Company.”
*Dr. Carl Hirota, newly elected Chairman of the Community Council, was a San Francisco dentist before the War. Read his story in “The Dedicated Dentist,” by his granddaughter, Dr. Cynthia Kami.
Previous “Daily Log” entries:
September 27-28: Dust, new arrivals
September 23-26: Outside workers, lost and found
September 22: First baby
September 18-21: First frost
September 17: First group arrives
September 15: Topaz Times launched
September 11: Welcome to Topaz
The Topaz Stories Team
Plan to visit the Topaz Stories Exhibit in Salt Lake City before it closes on December 31, 2022.
Contact us if you have a Topaz Story to share.
Follow us on Instagram @topazstories
Media Coverage:
Watch Topaz survivors tell their stories (abc4 news, 4/22/2022)
Listen to the “In the Hive” podcast with interviews with Ann Dion, Jonathan Hirabayashi, and Topaz survivors Jeanie Kashima and Joseph Nishimura (KCPW, 4/28/2022)
Read How a Utah exhibit about Topaz Camp looks to find empathy in ‘an ugly stain on American history (ksl.com, 4/22/2022)
Read “Topaz Stories rise from the dust,” (Department of Culture & Community Engagement, 4/2022)
Listen to KQED Forum, Day of Remembrance interview with Ruth Sasaki, 2/15/2022
Listen to Max Chang and Ruth Sasaki interviewed (KRCL RadioActive, 2/9/2022
Read On Topaz Stories and ‘Authentic Voice’, the Discover Nikkei interview with Ruth Sasaki (10/14/2022)
Listen to Remembering the Japanese American Incarceration, the Topaz Stories podcast with Ruth Sasaki and Jonathan Hirabayashi (6/2/2021)