Stories, Memories, and Legacies

Located on a hill at the Frank S. Ortiz Park in Santa Fe, NM, stands a stone Marker, placed there April 20, 2002, commemorating the Santa Fe Internment Camp (SFIC). Established in March of 1942, the camp interned over 4,500 Japanese immigrant men, making it one of America’s largest prison camps for resident aliens in the United States during WWII. Please join the New Mexico History Museum (NMHM) and the New Mexico Japanese American Citizens League as we inform and remind attendees of the historical existence of the U.S. Justice Department internment camp on the site of the present Casa Solana neighborhood, and memorialize the experience of thousands of Japanese immigrants and American-born citizens unjustly incarcerated there between 1942 and 1946, as well as celebrate the courage of the Santa Fe community in the resolution of the Marker controversy.

"Generational Legacies: The Santa Fe Internment Camp," "Confinement in the Land of Enchantment," and artifacts from the New Mexico History Museum’s collection will be on display in room 15 of the Palace of the Governors to explore the history of this event. Please enter at the main entrance of the New Mexico History Museum.