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From Coast and Camp to the Inland Empire

From Coast and Camp to the Inland Empire is the story of Japanese Americans living in Western Washington who were affected by evacuation, internment and relocation during World War II, yet were not incarcerated for a significant amount of time, if any.

This audio documentary compiles oral history interviews, narration and music to chronicle the journeys of Japanese Americans from the West Coast to Eastern Washington. It seeks to educate students and the community about historical violations of civil rights, in order to ensure that similar civil rights violations will be prevented in the future.

This web page is meant to be a resource for students, teachers, and those interested in the Japanese American experience in Washington State during World War II.

Audio Tracks

Track 1: Introduction (3:36)
Track 2: Issei: First-Generation Immigrants (5:27)
Track 3: Nisei: Second-Generation Citizens (13:42)
Track 4: Pearl Harbor Hysteria (8:33)
Track 5: Prelude to Evacuation (4:43)
Track 6: Journey Inland: Voluntary Evacuation (8:03)
Track 7: Journey Inland: From the Camps (5:38)
Track 8: Anxiety of the Inland Japanese (2:43)
Track 9: Starting over in the Inland Empire (3:29)
Track 10: Discrimination and Acceptance in the Inland Empire (11:30)
Track 11: Lingering Effects of Exclusion (7:23)

The audio files on this page are available in Windows Media Format. You can download a free copy of the Microsoft® Windows Media Player from the Microsoft website.

Additional Materials

• Photographs (Microsoft PowerPoint)
• Online exhibit
• Transcript (PDF)

• Lesson Plan - Understanding by Design format (Microsoft PowerPoint)
• Literature on the Japanese-American Experience during World War II (PDF)
• Densho: The Japanese American Legacy Project
• Japanese American National Museum
• University of Washington: Center for the Study of the Pacific Northwest
• Issei: A History of Japanese Immigrants in North America, by Kazuo Ito, maps on xvi-xii
• Japanese-Americans: From Relocation to Redress, by Harry Kitano, timeline on xv-xxi

From Coast and Camp to the Inland Empire was created at Whitworth, Spokane, Wash., and completed in April 2003.

Project Co-Director: Janet Hauck
Project Co-Director: Rose Sliger
Grant Writer: Janet Hauck
Oral Historian, Writer, Editor: Rose Sliger
Narrator: Brooke Kiener
Audio Editing & Post Production: Larry Ellingson

From Coast and Camp to the Inland Empire was funded by the Washington State Civil Liberties Public Education Act through the sponsorship of the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.