Archival Research Highlights

Mia spent much of 2017 conducting research in archival and personal collections related to the Minidoka incarceration experience. This was conducted through a partnership with North Shore Productions for the Minidoka NHS orientation film. We have digitized hundreds of items highlighting the prewar, Minidoka, and resettlement experiences from collections in Seattle, Salt Lake, Chicago, Stockton, Los Angeles, Portland, and Idaho. 

One highlight is this snapshot from the collection of Dorothy Kogita Beagley. This image is from a pre-war picnic of Nikkei community menbers in Seattle, Washington. Pictured are a young Dorothy with her mother’s friend, a Mrs. Sasaki. Looks like they are enjoying their onigiri! Also pictured is an image of children on a playground at Minidoka., courtesy of the Hideo Hoshide slide collection at Japanese Baptist Church. If you have information about the people in this photo please contact us.

Friends of Minidoka assists the National Park Service in identifying people who would like to donate Minidoka related objects to the park for preservation and possible exhibition. Items can include objects such as WWII uniforms, scans or original photographs, or documents related to the Minidoka incarceration as well as pre-war and post-resettlement. 

If you are interested in donating a collection item to Minidoka or have questions about the best place to donate an item, please reach out to Hanako Wakatsuki, Chief of Interpretation and Education at Minidoka, at (208) 539-3416 or email her at hanako_wakatsuki@nps.gov.