{"id":639,"date":"2025-04-04T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-04T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quietamericans.com\/staging\/?p=639"},"modified":"2025-10-27T14:58:53","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T21:58:53","slug":"terminal-island","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quietamericans.com\/staging\/terminal-island\/","title":{"rendered":"Terminal Island"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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It took decades to build a thriving Japanese fishing village in Southern California. But it only took the U.S. Government 48 hours to erase it.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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April 2, 1942: Civilian Exclusion Order No. 4 gave Terminal Island\u2019s Japanese Americans just two days to leave.\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Terminal Island sat nestled between San Pedro and Long Beach \u2014 a small stretch of land in Los Angeles Harbor. It was home to a close-knit community of Japanese immigrants and their American-born children, many of whom came from Wakayama Prefecture in Japan.<\/p>\n

They were master fishermen, brought to the U.S. for their skill. They built boats, hauled in tuna, mended nets. They raised families. Started businesses. Opened schools.<\/p>\n

They even developed a unique local dialect \u2014 part Japanese, part English, part pure Terminal Island. It was a world unto itself.<\/p>\n

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Cannery workers, January 27, 1942, weeks before their eviction<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Sardine fishermen on Terminal Island, credit Angel City Press<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Elementary school children at Terminal Island<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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A thriving tuna cannery on Terminal Island. Two of the three notorious Shitara Sisters also worked here before they were incarcerated.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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A view of Terminal Island from Terminal Way, credit San Pedro Bay Historical Society<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t
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Terminal Island shops and cafes owned by Japanese American residents were closed by the military on December 8, 1941<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Japanese American residents were forced from their homes during mass round-up on February 2, 1942<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Plainclothes police arrest Terminal Island men<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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The last residents being forcibly removed by the military<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Two children on Terminal Island after being ordered to be removed within 48 hours, credit Angel City Press<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t
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Then came April 2, 1942.<\/p>\n

That was the day the U.S. Army issued Civilian Exclusion Order<\/a> No. 4, which gave the Japanese American residents of Terminal Island just 48 hours to leave.<\/p>\n

No trials. No accusations. Just a notice on a wall: \u201cYou have two days.\u201d<\/p>\n

They were told to pack what they could carry. Some abandoned their homes. Others left behind fishing boats that had taken years to build. Military police roamed the streets. Children cried. Parents kept packing.<\/p>\n

Neighbors said goodbye \u2014 not knowing it would be forever.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Shortly after the families were forced out, the U.S. Navy bulldozed their homes to the ground. They claimed it was for \u201csecurity.\u201d<\/p>\n

They didn\u2019t just remove the people \u2014 they erased the neighborhood.<\/p>\n

When the war ended and survivors were finally allowed to return, there was nothing left to return to. No homes. No boats. No village.<\/p>\n

What took generations to create was destroyed in two days. Forever.\u00a0<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The staff in front of popular Mio Cafe, credit Japanese American National Museum<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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The Yamamoto Family in their grocery store<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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The Shinto Shrine at Terminal Island, credit Library of Congress<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Reverend Shinkichi Miyoshi preparing to move from Shinto Temple after 40 years there<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t
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Today the memorial serves as a reminder of the once-thriving fishing village, and its forced evacuation<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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The crime? Being Japanese.<\/p>\n

Terminal Island wasn\u2019t just a community. It was a symbol of what Japanese immigrants had built in America \u2014 and how quickly it could all be taken away.<\/p>\n

They tried to erase it from history.<\/p>\n

But we will not forget.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Share this article<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It took decades to build a thriving Japanese fishing village in Southern California. But it only took the U.S. Government 48 hours to erase it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":640,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[251,7,8,6,246,32,10,35,245,9],"class_list":["post-639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-business-agriculture","tag-civilian-exclusion-orders","tag-executive-order-9066","tag-japanese-american-history","tag-law-justice","tag-quiet-americans","tag-racial-injustice","tag-terminal-island","tag-wartime-incarceration","tag-wwii-incarceration"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quietamericans.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quietamericans.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quietamericans.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quietamericans.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quietamericans.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=639"}],"version-history":[{"count":41,"href":"https:\/\/quietamericans.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4757,"href":"https:\/\/quietamericans.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639\/revisions\/4757"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quietamericans.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/640"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quietamericans.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quietamericans.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quietamericans.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}