Giving Thanks to Veterans at Thanksgiving!

We’re now wading deep into the holiday season! In light of Veteran's Day last week and with Thanksgiving fast approaching, we think it's the perfect time to show thanks. So, as a thank you to both our readers and veterans, we're giving you something to get excited about: a collection highlight! Make the most of your holiday by looking through these resources related to military service throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. One way to give thanks it is to remember and understand the stories and events that veterans experience. By delving into these collections you'll discover powerful insight into the stories of those touched by war: not just soldiers, but also nurses, doctors, mechanics, their family and friends. Since war touches everyone, you may even find a personal connection to yourself or someone you know. Give thanks to all those who came before you by exploring these heritage collections too. Some of our most extensive collections contain photographs and service listings from the world wars. You’ll find thousands of the documents and photographs left behind to tell those stories in the collections below. Taking the time to read and remember the lives and histories of our heritage is a great way to honor that heritage and show thanks to those that came before.

Utah State Historical Society World War Military Listings

Army nurses from Red Cross Files for World War 2

Here you'll encounter listings containing the basic information of thousands of volunteers in various roles, their families, those who perished, and those safely discharged.

World War I Service Cards

Service Card of William R. Holt

This collection contains the service cards of men and women from Weber County that served during World War I. They include their home address, next of kin, the branch of service, entrance date, discharge date, and remarks such as where they served and if killed in action. Included in this collection are notable names such as Browning, Scowcroft, Bernard DeVoto, Lawrence Dee, and Edmond Littlefield.

World War I Edmond (Ted) Littlefield

An officer standing next to an ambulance during WWI

This collection contains a diary, personal letters and photos of Edmond Arthur Littlefield principally from his service in the American Field Service during World War I. Other items include pre and post WWI letters and photos.

World War I Photographs

Troops in the July 4^th armistice parade

A collection of photographs of the Armistice Parade that took place in Ogden, Utah in 1919. They include photographs of the troops returning from war, various women’s groups like the American Red Cross, and school children. These photographs were donated by Richard Roberts.

WorldWar II POW Camp Correspondence, Newsletters, Oral History and Photographs

POWs with the nurse

A collection of photographs and oral history quotes that document the history of the Prisoner of War camp at Defense Depot Ogden that opened in 1943 and closed in 1946. The oral histories were conducted with widows of German and Italian POWs, former guards, and community members that worked with the POWs.

World War II Photographs by J. Malan Heslop

Cocoa for All! A soldier lights another's cigarette across a table filled with cocoa mugs.

[John Hale, the Old Man of the Tennessee mountains, is shown a bazooka by Pfc. Alexander Hamilton. This photograph ran in the CUB, the official publication of the Army Division, February 25, 1944]

Containing more than 1,350 images scanned from negatives, original prints, and slides, J. Malan Heslop served in the U.S. Army and documented the final months of World War II in Austria, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, and Germany.

UO Veterans

Interview with Jack Heide discussing his experiences serving in the Army Reserves

The UO Veterans Oral History Project was established in 2012 with the aim of documenting the military experiences of men and women associated with the University of Oregon and the wider Oregon community. The project understands military experience broadly to include not just combat but all aspects of military service.

The UO Veterans Oral History Project rests on interviews with both veterans and active duty service men and women. Interviews are conducted and transcribed by University of Oregon students enrolled in a class designed to support the project. The interviews are permanently housed in the archive at the University of Oregon Libraries.

Utah State Historical Society World War I Service Questionnaires (New to MWDL!)

World War I service questionnaires | Fred R Davidson

This series contains military service questionnaires and photographs of Utah's World War I veterans compiled by the Utah State Historical Society shortly after the war. The forms were sent to veterans or their families to complete and return.

The survey was the result of a request by Utah Governor Bamberger to the State Council of Defense that a War History of the State be compiled. By 1920 when the Council had disbanded, the project was continued by the Utah State Historical Society who hired Dr. Andrew L. Neff to write the history. By 1926 the production of an all encompassing work proved overwhelming, and it was learned that the federal government was compiling similar information to be filed with the state adjutant general. Therefore the project was abandoned as infeasible and a duplication of effort.

 Utah National Guard 145th Field Artillery Scrapbook (New to MWDL!)

A terse memorandum informing a Captain that his troop would be parading through Salt Lake City on the 6th.

This series contains a scrapbook of the 145th Field Artillery of Utah explaining how President Wilson tried to persuade the nation into joining the war, how Utah's National Guard was mobilized, and the names of the Utah soldiers. The scrapbook was created by the Statistical Section of the Regiment.

The scrapbook has excerpts from: President Wilson's Address to Congress, 'The War Message and Facts Behind it', and the President's Flag Day Address. It also contains appointments and general orders made by President Wilson reorganizing Utah's 145th. It has the names of the soldiers who were ordered or drafted into the service, enlistments, promotions, transfers, and rosters.

UO Archives Photographs

The University Archives Photograph Collection contains modern and vintage photographic prints related to the University of Oregon. The photographs depict a variety of buildings, historic scenes, events, students, faculty and staff, and scenes of campus life. Additionally, photos of World War II-era events on campus and soldiers are also featured.

Utah State Historical Society WorldWar I Records Dead Roster

This series is an effort to preserve a history of the World War I war record of Utah. The task originally was begun by the State Council of Defense, part of the National Council of Defense created on August 29, 1916 by act of Congress. The State Councils were to assist the federal government in recruiting for the National Guard and armed forces, promoting agricultural and industrial production for the war effort, fundraising, and planning patriotic activities. The Council also responded to a request by Governor Bamberger to compile a War History of the state. With the end of the war, the State Council was dissolved, and the war history aspect was assumed by the Utah State Historical Society. Most of the series consists of rosters of one form or another, including the Dead Roster featured here.

Salt Lake Tribune Negative Collection

This collection contains over 171,000 images from the 1930s to the 1960s. It is unique in origin as it includes images taken by dozens of different photographers sent out by the newspaper to get the perfect shot, something newsworthy. This results in many "live action" images taken of everyday activities and includes photos of war-related parades and local servicemen.

UO Stock Photos

A wonderful resource for stock images of people, places, and happenings around the University of Oregon campus, this collection also contains a series of photos of a 2007 Iraq War Flag Memorial.

As always, we're thankful for all our partners who have contributed these collections: Brigham Young University, Utah Department of Heritage & Arts, Oregon Digital, Utah State Archives, and Weber State University! 

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Collections spotlight: Japanese internment experience

With the addition of several new collections in April from Utah State Archives and Oregon Digital, we thought it would be interesting to highlight materials in MWDL pertaining to the World War II-era Japanese internment camps. In the following collections you can find comprehensive materials illustrating the memory of people interned in these camps along with details concerning the administrative operation of the camps. Oral histories, photographs, government records, student theses and special collections detail the experience of Japanese-Americans in Utah, California, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, and Arizona. 

Huge thanks to the numerous partners who have shared this content with Mountain West!

Topaz Japanese-American Relocation Center Digital Collection (Utah State University- Merrill-Cazier Library)

In 1942 shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, over 110,000 people of Japanese ancestry were forcibly removed from California, Oregon, and Washington and confined to relocation centers. One of these relocation centers was the Topaz Relocation Center located on 17,500 acres in the middle of the Sevier Desert just outside of Delta, Utah. Until the camp closed in Oct. 1945, over 8,000 men, women and children lived, worked, and went to school there; over 100 of its residents volunteered for and served in the U.S. armed forces.

What was it like to be a resident of one of these relocation centers? School yearbooks and literary magazines written and illustrated by Topaz residents offer insight into the life, activities, and feelings of the Japanese Americans held there from 1942-1945. These and other items owned by Utah State University Library are being digitized as part of its Topaz Japanese-American Relocation Center Digital Collection.

The Relocation Program: A Guidebook for the Residents of Relocation Centers | May 1943 | War Relocation Authority | Washington D.C.

Our Daily Diary, Topaz War Relocation Center (University of Utah J. Willard Marriott Library)

This collection contains a record of the diary entries of a third grade class in Topaz Relocation in the Summer of 1943. Many of the entries contain crayon images and accounts of daily life like the one pictured below.

Our Daily Diary, a diary kept by third graders at Mountain View School at the Topaz Relocation Center from March 8 - August 12, 1943.

National Japanese American Student Relocation Council records, 1942-1946 (Oregon Digital - Added to MWDL in April)

In this collection you'll find an assortment of items detailing the operation and records of the National Japanese American Student Relocation Council. Included are meeting minutes, newsletters, faculty correspondences, and more. The NJASRC was created by university administrators as a way of moving Japanese-American students to other universities farther from the West Coast, rather than sending them to internment camps.

Davis County (UT) Sheriff Alien Enemy Registration Forms (Utah State Archives - Added to MWDL in April)

This series contains alien enemy registration forms assembled by the Davis County Sheriff during World War II. The forms document individuals and families of Japanese descent living in Davis County from 1940-1945. The forms include the following types of information: household head's name and address, landlord or employer's name and address, family members' names, birth dates, birth places and registration numbers, as well as the number and types of firearms and ammunition belonging to each individual or family. A number of composite listings are also included in the series, detailing many of the same individuals and types of information as the registration forms.

Further description and information can be found in the series inventory online.

Topaz Oral Histories (University of Utah J. Willard Marriott Library)

The Topaz Oral Histories collection contains 33 records, many of which are transcripted interviews or contain numerous research materials. Each interview explores in depth the life of a former resident of the Japanese internment camp in Topaz, Utah. 

Peoples of Utah (Utah Department of Heritage & Arts)

The Peoples of Utah collection displays a series of photographs documenting the various peoples and cultures present in Utah. It contains several pictures which capture Japanese-American presence in Utah including the image below depicting the Topaz internment camp.

Japanese Internment Camp at Topaz, Utah.

 

 

Barre Toelken Fieldwork Image Collection (Utah State University Merrill-Cazier Library) 

Created by professor emeritus Barre Toelken, this collection spans 1954-2002, covers a variety of folklore topics, and also includes photos of Heart Mountain (WY) Relocation Center as well as Topaz (UT)  Relocation Camp. 

Utah Government Digital Library (Utah State Library) 

Several items including a short history of Topaz Internment Camp, and a published study related to the creation of monuments to the Japanese-American internment experience.  

Everett L. Cooley Oral History Project (University of Utah J. Willard Marriott Library)

A collection of oral histories from a wide variety of subjects, including interviews with Wanda Robertson, Raymond Songi Uno, and Joy Hashimoto directly related to the Japanese internment.

University of Utah Photograph Archives (University of Utah J. Willard Marriot Library)

Includes photos of Tule Lake (CA) and Waukon (WA) camps.

 

Women's Walk: Honoring the Women of Utah  (Utah Valley University)

Jeanette Misaka describes the circumstances of her family’s forced evacuation from their home in California following the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the subsequent Executive Order 9066 from President Roosevelt that followed. She includes the details of living first at the Santa Anita Racetrack and then being moved by train to the Heart Mountain Wyoming internment camp.

Interviews with Jews in Utah (University of Utah J Willard Marriott Library)

Includes a 1983 interview with Norman Nathan (1897-1985) about his experience of growing up Jewish in Utah and later working in a Japanese internment camp in Idaho. 

 

Weber State Student Oral History Projects - Al Aoki interview, 1971 (Weber State University Stewart Library)

An oral history interview with Mr. Al Aoki and Mrs. Al Aoki. The interview was conducted on March 10, 1971, by Janet Anderson, in Ogden, Utah. Mr. and Mrs. Aoki discuss World War II, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and their lives after the war.

Loyal, No Matter What: Jim and Kimiko Tazoi (Brigham Young University Finding Aids)

The booklet describes Jim's experiences serving as a Japanese American in Europe during WWII and Kimiko's experiences in a Japanese internment camp in Arizona. Dated 2006. 

LaVelle Sorensen Johnson Papers  (Utah Department of Heritage and Arts Finding Aids)

Correspondence, published and unpublished materials including biographies of early Millard County residents. The collection emphasizes the importance of water in the social and economic development of Delta, McCormick, and other towns born of the boosterism of the early 1900s.

Children's Play and Book Review (Brigham Young University)

Contains reviews of "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and "So Far From The Sea" by Eve Bunting.

 

Utah Division of State Archives Series Inventories - Millard County (Utah). Justice of the Peace: Delta Precinct Docket books, 1922-1969 (Utah State Archives)

These fifteen volumes record individual cases heard by the justice court in Delta (both Delta Town and Delta Precinct). They contain the names of the parties involved, the date, the name of the justice of the peace, the complaint, the action taken, the names of the attorneys, the type of papers filed, and the judgment rendered. A ledger column is also available to enable the judge to keep track of the costs involved in each case.; These fifteen volumes record individual cases heard by the justice court in Delta (both Delta Town and Delta Precinct).

 

University of Utah Theses and Dissertations (University of Utah J. Willard Marriott Library)

2 masters theses about the internment experience: "Doing family: communicating memories of the Japanese American incarceration" by Laura Kasiwashe (2013) and "Enemies at home": race, citizenship, and the roots of Japanese American internment policy" by Barbara Jones Brown, 2012

Frank Beckwith Collection (Delta (UT) City Library)

Photographs and scrapbooks by Frank Asahel Beckwith, editor and publisher of the Millard County Chronicle from 1919-1951. Mr. Beckwith was an amateur geologist and anthropologist and his photographs depict Utah landscapes and Native Americans, as well as photos of the Topaz Internment Camp.

Salt Lake Tribune Negative Collection (University of Utah J. Willard Marriott Library)

Numerous photos of Topaz (Utah) Internment Camp.

KUED Topaz Residents Collection (Utah Department of Heritage & Arts)

This collection consists of images of Japanese Americans before and during internment at the Topaz Internment Camp in Delta, Utah.

Interviews with Japanese Americans in Utah (University of Utah J. Willard Marriott Library)

The interviews with Japanese Americans in Utah (1984-1988) consists of transcripts of a series of interviews conducted with members of the Japanese community between 1984 and 1988. Common themes within the interviews are family life, work, religion, immigration experiences, discrimination, and relations with the Mormon establishment in Utah.

Topaz City - Topaz Museum (Topaz Museum)

Finally, this collection contains the photos of the from the Topaz Internment Camp Museum. 8,000 individuals lived at this camp from 1942-1945, and this collection includes over 200 photos documenting their life.

If you would like to do more research on your own, commonly-used subjects from these collections include:

Japanese Americans-- Evacuation and relocation, 1942-1954
Internment of Japanese Americans, 1942-1945
Relocation / Internment Camps
Names of camps/cities, ex: Tule Lake, Delta City, Topaz, Heart Mountain, Manzanar, Minidoka, Waukon, etc.