It was destined to be hauled off to a local dumb and destroyed, but Ron Solders saw it and realized its importance and saved it. It, was a barracks from the the Minidoka Relocation Center in Idaho. One of 400 that were originally erected to house Japanese-Americans during World War II.
The National Park Service owes him a big thank you as they have been trying to locate about a dozen such structures spread across the state of Idaho. Most of the 20 by 200 foot barracks were given to local farmers after the camp was closed. The NPS is striving to restore a block of the camp to show what life was like during the war.
President Bush signed a $38 million bill in 2006 to preserve the various relocation sites.
Most of them have very little left, so the acquisition of this barrack is a major find. I'm glad to see effort being made to preserve this not-so-glorious aspect of American history, lest it be forgotten.
Congratulations and Thanks Mr. Solders. --Old Coot
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