GRANADA, Colorado — Amache National Historic Site in southeastern Colorado is officially the nation's newest park of the National Park System.
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland formally established the landmark Thursday following the Town of Granada’s acquisition and donation of the land needed to establish it.
The establishment has been years in the making. In March 2022, President Joe Biden signed the Amache National Historic Site Act, designating the Amache site as part of the National Park System.
Amache was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on May 18, 1994, and designated a National Historic Landmark on Feb. 10, 2006.
Amache, also known as the Granada Relocation Center, was one of 10 incarceration sites established by the War Relocation Authority during World War II to detain Japanese Americans forcibly removed from the West Coast of the United States under the terms of Executive Order 9066.
More than 10,000 people were incarcerated at Amache from 1942-1945, which housed 7,310 incarcerees at its peak, two-thirds of whom were United States citizens.
Amache joins six other national parks already established that preserve and interpret this chapter of American history.
“I am proud to see that Amache National Historic Site is officially a unit of the National Park System,” said U.S. Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colorado). “Located in southeastern Colorado, Amache is a chilling reminder of the injustices committed against Japanese Americans during World War II. Ensuring that Amache is preserved so that future generations can visit and learn from those tragic errors is critical to building a better future.”
Amache’s formal establishment comes as the nation prepares for the Day of Remembrance of Japanese Incarceration During World War II, recognized each year on Feb. 19.
Amache’s historic building foundations and road alignments are largely intact, preserved through the years by Amache survivors and their descendants, the Town of Granada, the Amache Preservation Society, and other individuals, institutions and organizations.
“The forced removal of Japanese Americans to incarceration facilities like Amache during World War II is a shameful, dark period in American history and one that we must never forget,” said U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colorado).
“Today’s announcement is a testament to the survivors, descendants, and advocates who kept alive the memory of Americans who were interned there. We have a responsibility to carry their legacy forward, and I’m grateful that today’s designation will finally deliver the recognition and resources that Amache deserves.”
Currently, the site consists of a historic cemetery, a monument, concrete building foundations, a road network, and several reconstructed and restored structures from the World War II era including a barrack, recreation hall, guard tower and water tank.
The National Park Service will continue to work with the groups to preserve Amache and expand scholarship and public awareness of its history.
The Amache National Historic Site’s Foundation Document provides an overview of the park and its history. More information about the site and how to plan a visit is available at the NPS's website.
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