Colorado River Relocation Center Records: Finding Aid mssCoRivRe
Processed by Huntington Library; supplementary encoding and revision supplied by
Xiuzhi Zhou in 2004.
The Huntington Library
2000
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Business Number: (626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
Note
Finding aid last updated on July 3, 2023, by Mari Khasmanyan.
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Colorado River Relocation Center records
Creator:
Backus, Edythe N.
Identifier/Call Number: mssCoRivRe
Physical Description:
9.67 Linear Feet
(11 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1942-1945
Abstract: The collection contains correspondence,
photographs, yearbooks, bulletins, memoranda, and other material dating from approximately
1942 to 1945 relating to the Japanese internment camp, the Colorado River Relocation Center
in Poston, Arizona. The materials were assembled by Pasadena area teacher Edythe N. Backus
who left her position in California to teach at the Center.
Language of Material: Materials are mostly in English
with some Japanese.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at
the Huntington Library for more information.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from
or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The
responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining
necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Edythe N. Backus, 1948.
Bulletins to War Service Personnel by Huntington Library Staff from 1943-1945 (18 pieces)
were originally housed in box 1, but on 1/23/1974 were transferred to Huntington Library
Archives.
The Colorado River Relocation Center, established by the United States War Relocation
Authority in May 1942, confined Americans of Japanese descent who were required to leave
their homes during World War II.
Edythe N. Backus (1897-1956) was a teacher from the Pasadena area who volunteered to teach
at Poston, Arizona. She collected materials related to life in the Center which now make up
this collection.
[Identification of item], Colorado River Relocation Center records, The Huntington Library,
San Marino, California.
The collection contains correspondence, 12 photographs, bulletins, memoranda, and other
printed materials assembled by Edythe N. Backus related to the Colorado River Relocation
Center at Poston, AZ. Also included are copies of The Poston chronicle and Poston High and
Junior High School annuals, newspapers, and bulletins. The 141 pieces of correspondence are
primarily by Japanese-Americans as they reintegrated to American society outside the center.
The collection also includes watercolor drawings of camp scenes by Kastsumi Natagawa and H.
Yoshizumi.
Processed by Huntington Library staff; supplementary encoding and revision supplied by
Xiuzhi Zhou in 2004. In July 2023, Mari Khasmanyan rehoused part of the collection, updated
container information (boxes 8, 9, 10, and 11 were created) and updated the finding aid.
Existence and Location of Copies
Selected items from this collection have been digitized. Digital reproductions are
available in the
Huntington Digital Library.
Collection is arranged according to the existing order of the materials.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Japanese Americans -- Forced removal and internment, 1942-1945 --
Sources
Letters (correspondence) -- Arizona, Poston -- 20th
century
Photographs -- Arizona, Poston -- 20th century
Poston (Ariz.) -- History -- Sources
United States -- War Relocation Authority
Watercolors (paintings) -- Arizona, Poston -- 20th century
World War, 1939-1945 -- Concentration camps -- Arizona,
Poston
Poston Relocation Center (Ariz.)
Box 1, Folder 1-37, Box 2, Folder 1-4
Box 2, Folder 5
Box 2, Folder 8
Box 2, Folder 9
Box 2, Folder 10
Box 2, Folder 11
Box 2, Folder 12
Box 2, Folder 13
Box 2, Folder 14
Box 3, Folder 2
Box 3, Folder 3
Poston High School, 11th Grade Core Class essays and notes 1944-1945
Box 8, Volume 1-3
Box 8, Volume 4-8
Box 4, Folder 5
Box 4, Folder 6
Box 4, Folder 7
Box 5, Folder 1
Box 5, Folder 4
Box 5, Folder 5
Box 5, Folder 6
Box 7, Folder 5
Box 9, Volume 1
Box 10, Volume 1
U.S. Junior Red Cross Album, Out of the Desert 1943
Digital reproductions of selected items from the Colorado River Relocation Center
records
Physical Description: 1 piece
Existence and Location of Copies
This album has been digitized. Digital reproductions are available in the
Huntington Digital Library.
Pages of the album are extremely fragile and brittle, handle with care.
Box 11, Folder 1