– Press release

Each year, approximately 80,000 people visit Manzanar National Historic Site. They receive an introductory brochure to enhance their understanding and experience. The National Park Service and key stakeholders developed Manzanar’s current brochure in 2003. Since then, the site has evolved significantly. Park staff have uncovered and stabilized Japanese gardens, restored historic orchards, conducted hundreds of oral history interviews, and developed permanent exhibits in the auditorium, barracks, and mess hall.

US NEWS MANZANAR 2 OC

This new brochure is intended to be evocative as well as informational. It illustrates Manzanar’s World War II history through the words of people who lived it. “Keeping in step with the new barracks exhibits, the goal is to give visitors a sense of the experiences of Japanese Americans through their personal stories,” said Superintendent Bernadette Johnson. “I am excited to hear feedback. I hope readers find a personal connection and remember the fragility of our civil liberties.”

Rather than only briefly mentioning other eras of Manzanar’s history, the park plans to work with stakeholders to develop additional brochures devoted to Owens Valley Paiute history and the ranching and farming eras of Manzanar.

The draft brochure is linked (in PDF format) on Manzanar National Historic Site’s website at http://www.nps.gov/manz/parkmgmt/planning.htm. Those wishing to submit written comments on the draft brochure can do so via email to[email protected] or by writing to Superintendent Bernadette Johnson, Manzanar NHS, PO Box 426, Independence, CA  93526. Comments are requested no later than June 28, 2015. After reviewing comments and input, the design team will refine the brochure to meet a Spring 2016 production schedule.

Manzanar National Historic Site is located at 5001 Hwy. 395, six miles south of Independence, California. The visitor center is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily (April 1 through October 31) and 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily (November 1through March 31). For more information, please call 760-878-2194 ext. 3310 or visit our website at www.nps.gov/manz or Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ManzanarNationalHistoricSite.

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