18 replies to this topic

[ski3pin]

It was my birthday. What should we do? We'd come up with something fun. The story and photos are posted to our blog here -

 

Three Nights At Benton Hot Springs - November 2019

 

We hope you enjoy tagging along with us!

[craig333]

Two things I still haven't done. Benton Hot Springs and a visit to Manzanar.

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Thanks Ski.Manzanar is a place we need to go.

Sharons co teacher was born there just at the end.

Her family came from Watsonville and after internment

settled in the San Jose area. Her father owned a lot of fruit tree farm acres.

 

My sales route was in Watsonville for 28 years and a lot of my store customers

were interned there.

They would tell me about some of their life.Sad Sad part of our history.

 

You need to be careful with the soaking at Benton.You lose too many years and your "geezer" card will be revoked.

 

Great full moon. Missed it here again full moon means fog here.

Frank

[ski3pin]

You need to be careful with the soaking at Benton.You lose too many years and your "geezer" card will be revoked.

 

 

No matter how many years we knock off the clock, we've earned our geezer cards and are not letting go of them.

[craig333]

I live in a part of town known as Florin. Before the war it was largely populated by Japanese immigrants who grew strawberries. Sadly most never came back from internment. A few had their land looked after but not nearly enough.

 

Prewar[edit]

During the early 20th century Florin's economy focused on agricultural production. Strawberries were the most common produce grown. Japanese immigrants were the dominant group in Florin and they were the predominant farmers in Florin, making the area noted for being a Japanese immigrant community. This immigrant group's rendering of land in Florin had some popular renown. "In his report to Governor William Stephens, Colonel John P. Irish, president of the California Delta Association, described Japanese triumph: 'They [the Californians] had seen the Japanese convert the barren land like that at Florin and Livingston into productive and profitable fields, orchards and vineyards, and intelligence of their industry.'"^[8]

The presence of Japanese immigrants in Florin was not always met with such good will as expressed by Colonel Irish. "As soon as a Jap can produce a lease," the Sacramento Bee warned, "he is entitled to a wife. He sends a copy of his lease back home and gets a picture bride and they increase like rats. Florin [a valley farming town] is producing 85 American-born Japs a year."^[9] This article was in critical response to the Gentlemen's Agreement of 1907 between the US and Japan.

World War II[edit]

Local and Federal treatment of Nisei (Japanese immigrants and US-born Japanese Americans) in Florin took a drastic downturn upon the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the subsequent war between the US and Japan. At the time, about 2,500 Florin residents were Nikkei, forming a majority of the town's population.^[10] With a little fear and a lot of racial hostility, the Federal Government sent Japanese and Japanese Americans to internment camps according to FDR's Executive Order 9066. Florin Japanese American resident and educator Mary Tsukamoto recalled "everyone was given short notice for removal. Signs had been nailed to the telephone poles saying that we had to report to various spots."^[11] Florin's Japanese and Japanese American residents were forced to "register as families. We had to report to the Elk Grove Masonic Building where we were given our family numbers, No. 2076."^[11] The Elk Grove Masonic Building referred to by Tsukamoto was located in neighboring Elk Grove near a railroad station where the Florin residents were shipped in rail cars to distribution hubs. At these distribution hubs Florin's residents of Japanese descent were then sent to internment camps far from the coast.

The internment forever changed the character of Florin. Japanese and Japanese American residents had to sell their property within only a few days and often at prices far below their fair market value. When the Japanese and Japanese Americans were released from the internment camps some were able to return to Florin and start over. Most had to move on to other areas. Florin ceased to be a Japanese American community as it was before the internment.

 

 

Very sad time in our history. 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

No matter how many years we knock off the clock, we've earned our geezer cards and are not letting go of them.

Can we get a BIG AMEN on that.

Frank

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Thanks Craig great story.

A lot of the families from Watsonville were able to have friends keep their property for them.

But most lost everything and never came back to the town.

Yes such a sad time in our history.

 

It was always great to talk to some of my Japanese customers and hear their stories first hand.

 

Frank

[Ronin]

My birthday's coming up - wouldn't mind turning the clock back a few years!! I've passed Manzanar so many times, always on my way to somewhere or another. I've promised myself that Manzanar will be one of my stops next time down 395!! 

BTW - I've read some comments about how lucky we geezers are to have the senior pass. Well, a person can qualify for the America The Beautiful Volunteer Pass based on their volunteer hours supporting the NPS. I've qualified in the past performing trail maintenace projects in the Sierra. Or, just buy an annual pass. One road trip and it pays for itself!!

Edited by Ronin, 26 November 2019 - 12:45 AM.

[Foy]

Lovely, lovely, lovely!

 

Happy Birthday!

 

In these recent years you kids have introduced me to lots of incredible geology in DVNP and elsewhere in California and Nevada, and to top it off, to the splendid Benton Hot Springs.  I'm determined to see each before it's all over.  Many thanks for the inspiration!

 

Foy

Edited by Foy, 26 November 2019 - 08:47 AM.

[billharr]

Another great trip report. I still need to stay at Benton, had a spot reserved two years ago and an illness caused us to cancel. I could use soaking a few years off.  Manzanar should be on everyones list. I was impressed with the exhibits. I was sobering looking at the long list of people who stayed there.  I got the chills looking at a smaller list, Internees who joined the Army. I saw the name Frank Sakata Jr. who I worked with at Tillie Lewis Foods cannery in Stockton CA.