Japanese Canadian History

Sign that commemorates the Japanese Canadian internment camps of the lower Slocan Valley. 

This sign was very easy to find, right in a prominent turn on the main highway (the Lemon Creek and Slocan signs were impossible to find). The content covered a great deal of history within the limited dimensions, and the historic photos were appreciated.

Founded in 1906, it was the first and largest Japanese language school before World War II. 

The Japanese Hall was built in 1928 to complement the original wooden language school (demolished). This was the only property returned to the community after dispossession and displacement during the Second World War. I took this photo during the ceremony to announce the National Historic Site status.

Sign that commemorates Road Camps along Highway 1 during the Japanese Canadian Internment.

My uncle helped to build the highway during the Second World War. This photo was taken by me from the peak of the Revelstoke Mountain Resort.

East Lillooet was a Japanese Canadian self-supporting Internment site from 1942-49.

Until this sign was created, no traces of this camp remained on the site, apart from a few ruins of former gardens and foundations. Some of the hardier vegetables and trees planted by internees remained until recently. Oddly, that’s my father in the background of this photo – he must have been quite the handful as a child!

NIMC tells the story Japanese Canadians forcibly relocated during World War II.

I would visit this site again, as I felt like there simply wasn’t enough time to engage with everything and there were many artifacts and stories crammed into a small space. I had never seen the inside of a government-spec internment cabin (built across BC), and this was the first time I was able to go inside. From modern eyes, the living situation was shocking. I took a photo of the exterior (above).

123-year-old Provincial Heritage Site with theatre, galleries, & Japanese Canadian Museum.

This building was filled with historical photos and descriptions of the building, and is still a “living” building – many of its friendly residents came by to chat.

Greenwood was the first of 10 Japanese Canadian Internment sites during World War II.

This town was very quiet, and very hot (August 16, 2020)! It’s very walkable and a self-guided walking tour pamphlet is available from the visitors’ centre/museum.

Tashme – Canada’s largest Japanese Canadian internment camp during WWII.

Until Mr. Ellan established this museum in 2016, there appeared to be a conscious decision by former community leaders not to acknowledge the history of this area. The current collection is incredible and reconciles the “untold” story with the physical landscape.