Day 160: Rohwer War Relocation Center (Concentration Camp), Desha, Arkansas
📌APIA Every Day (160) - The Rohwer War Relocation Center, located in Desha County, Arkansas, operated as one of the ten American concentration camps during World War II, situated north of the Jerome Relocation Center [See Day 83]. Established on September 18, 1942, it incarcerated primarily Japanese Americans from Los Angeles and San Joaquin, California. At its peak, the camp housed approximately 8,000 people within barracks, mess halls, and guarded perimeters surrounded by barbed wire, reflecting the horrible conditions the prisoners faced. Unlike many other relocation centers where populations dwindled over time, Rohwer experienced an increase in inmates in 1944 following the closure of the Jerome camp, further complicating its operational dynamics.
Following the war, as restrictions eased, Rohwer gradually ceased operations, officially closing on November 30, 1945. Imprisoned Japanese Americans either returned to the West Coast or resettled in cities across the United States, including Chicago. The center's barracks and buildings were auctioned off and removed, with the land converted back to agricultural use for crops like cotton, soybeans, corn, and rice. Many Japanese Americans left Arkansas immediately, some returning to the West Coast to rebuild their lives, while others resettled across the United States.
Of the 168 Japanese American prisoners who tragically passed away during their time at Rohwer, most were elderly and preferred burial over cremation, resting in the Rohwer Memorial Cemetery. In 1945, two large concrete monuments were erected in the cemetery. One, adorned with floral patterns symbolic of Japanese and American cultures, honors all who died at the center, including those cremated. The second commemorates the young men from Rohwer who served in Europe and lost their lives in the U.S. Army's 100th Battalion and 442nd Combat Team. The cemetery and monuments serve as tangible reminders of Rohwer's history, and the site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
LEARN MORE:
National Archives Catalog: Rohwer Relocation Center NRHP Form
Discover Nikkei: Rohwer Relocation Center: From the Perspective of the WRA Photos
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