Wyoming’s Internment Camp

Between 1942 and 1945, during World War II, more than 14,000 Japanese Americans stepped off a train and into the Heart Mountain internment camp, a city of barbed wire and tar paper on the sagebrush desert 12 miles northeast of Cody, Wyo. "Evacuees"—including young Norman Mineta, who would grow up to become U.S. Secretary of Transportation—raised crops, attended church, and ran schools, all under heavy guard. While hundreds left to fight in Europe, 85 men went to prison for draft evasion. Three months after the war’s end, guards stood by as the last residents headed home. Only three buildings remain of what was once Wyoming’s third–largest community. Visitors can take a self–guided walking tour or follow a guide. (307) 754-2689.

Photography by D. Robert Franz

This article was first published in July 2006. Some facts may have aged gracelessly. Please call ahead to verify information.