…it was Colorado that extended a branch that would save us from the destructive current that had carried us into a concentration camp.
Who ever thought that a raging current could come to our quiet little town of Penryn, California, and sweep us all away?
I was born in Sacramento, California in 1932. I am sansei (third generation) on my father’s side, as he was born in Hawaii; but I am nisei (second generation) on my mother’s side because she was born in Japan. When I was born, our family had a grocery store called Yamada Grocery in Penryn, a small community about 28 miles northeast of Sacramento.
Penryn had once been the site of a granite quarry, but by the time my family settled there, the main industry was fruits: peaches, plums, pears and cherries. There was a small Japantown along Penryn Road, with not only several Japanese-owned stores, but also a Buddhist church.
In May 1942 the War came to Penryn: our family, along with all other Japanese-American families from our and other surrounding communities, was taken to Marysville Assembly Center, also called Arboga. It was not a pleasant place—smelly and full of mosquitos. I remember the long lines and the people getting registered with name tags and getting vaccinated. Thank goodness we were not there long.