“ASSEMBLY CENTER”

The U.S. Government designated temporary housing as “Assembly Centers.” People of Japanese ancestry were held in these makeshift centers while the more permanent “Relocation Centers” were completed. These makeshift centers were often built in fairgrounds and race tracks. Inmates lived in livestock barns or hastily constructed barracks.

Click on the names below the map to take tours of and watch videos about the “Assembly Centers.”

Fresno Assembly Center
Marysville Assembly Center
Mayer Assembly Center
Merced Assembly Center
Pinedale Assembly Center
Pomona Assembly Center
Portland Assembly Center
Puyallup Assembly Center
Sacramento Assembly Center
Salinas Assembly Center
Santa Anita Assembly Center
Stockton Assembly Center
Tanforan Assembly Center
Tulare Assembly Center
Turlock Assembly Center