Online exhibit
In July 1942, the Tashme Internment camp, the largest in Canada, opened its doors to Japanese Canadians who had been ordered removed from the coast following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Formerly called the Fourteen Mile Ranch, the camp was located 14 miles southeast of Hope, just outside the 100-mile “protected” zone imposed by the government. It covered 1,200 acres and, at its peak, was home to 2,644 internees.
In answer to the question: “What was everyday life in the Tashme Internment Camp really like?” the Tashme Historical Project website is a living and evolving interactive repository of historical material about the Tashme Internment Camp. The camp was closed in 1946, leaving nothing but memories. Now those memories have been collected in a comprehensive website that looks at every facet of camp life, from its organizational structure; including governance, employment, education, and health care; to everyday life, including commerce and social and sports organizations. It makes available to anyone with a web browser detailed historical records, a diverse collection of textual, photographic, graphical, and multimedia materials.
A wealth of knowledge is waiting to be discovered by children, grandchildren, and descendants of those who lived in Tashme – who have heard about Tashme all their lives and want to know more – as well as educational institutions, teachers, and students.
We invite users to recall your experiences, donate your photographs and documents, and contribute your stories to this important historical record of our Japanese Canadian internment experience.
The Tashme Historical Project Website is a collaboration between the Nikkei National Museum in Burnaby and the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre in Toronto. Sources include Library and Archives Canada, UBC Special Collections, United Church Archives, and the Nikkei National Museum and Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre archives.
Contact: Linda Kawamoto Reid, Research Archivist
NNMCC, 6688 Southoaks Crescent, Burnaby BC V5E4M7
604.777.7000, [email protected]