Manzanar National Historic Site & Interpretive Center

Established as a Historic Site in 1992, Manzanar and the Interpretive Center paint a vivid picture of what life in the interment camp. This military style camp housed more than 10,000 detained Japanese Americans from April 1942 through November 1945. At the turn of the century, long before Manzanar was turned into an interment camp, it served the Owens Valley as an agricultural center. When the great depression hit however, Manzanar was practically abandoned with all of the land and water rights owned by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. It was in 1942 that the government leased 6,200 acres of land at Manzanar and built the interment camp which maintained so many Japanese Americans with basic food and shelter.

The historic high school auditorium, one of three original intact structures on the premises, serves as the Interpretive Center. The center has an extensive number of exhibits, interactive exhibits, and audio-visual programs. The theater plays the award winning documentary “Remembering Manzanar” every 30 minutes. Also featured is the bookstore, and gift shop.

A 3 mile self guided driving tour around the site gives you the chance to observe the rock gardens, orchards, architectural remnants of the site, and the cemetery. The driving tour really gives you a feel for the sheer size of the camp.

Hours for the Interpretive Center: 9 am  - 4:30 pm daily November - March 9 am - 5:30 pm April through October. Admission is free.

(760)-878-0258

Manzanar Website

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