Category Archives: Heart Mountain Relocation Center

The Buffalo Bill Dam – Discover the Story of Wyoming’s Tallest Dam

The Buffalo Bill Dam was designed by engineer Daniel Webster Cole and built between 1905 and 1910. It was one of the first projects undertaken by the U.S. Reclamation Service (later known as the Bureau of Reclamation). The dam sits … Continue reading

Posted in Agricultural history, Construction, Heart Mountain Relocation Center, Immigration, Irrigation, Shoshone Dam, Uncategorized, water resources, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Wyoming Statesman Alan K. Simpson

Al Simpson is pillar of Wyoming politics, a well-known name across the country, and a benefactor of the American Heritage Center. Simpson enjoyed a long political career spanning the years 1964 to 1997. He is both a politician and a … Continue reading

Posted in Biography and profiles, Heart Mountain Relocation Center, Immigration Policy, Interns' projects, Uncategorized, Western history, western politics and leadership, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Nisei Soldiers of World War II: Overcoming Prejudice, Upholding Patriotism

As we honor the fallen for Memorial Day, the American Heritage Center would like to shine a spotlight on a small but mighty group, the Japanese American soldiers of World War II. Known collectively as Nisei, a term originating in … Continue reading

Posted in Asian American history, Heart Mountain Relocation Center, Japanese American history, Japanese internment, Racial bias, Uncategorized, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Heart Mountain through Pencil and Paper

It was 1942; Japan had just bombed Pearl Harbor, and the American people were worried about Japanese spies on American soil. Amid the tension of WWII following the bombing, the U.S. government believed that the best course of action to … Continue reading

Posted in American history, Asian American history, Heart Mountain, Heart Mountain Relocation Center, Japanese internment, Uncategorized, Under-documented communities, World War II, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Investigating Heart Mountain Relocation Camp with the Lester Hunt papers

The American Heritage Center has digitized about 220 documents regarding the Heart Mountain Relocation Center and a 1949 film titled “Wyoming and Its Natural Resources” from the Lester C. Hunt papers. Lester Calloway Hunt was the 19th governor of Wyoming … Continue reading

Posted in Heart Mountain, Heart Mountain Relocation Center, newly digitized collections, Under-documented communities, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Documenting Heart Mountain: AHC Collections on Japanese American Incarceration

August 20, 2011, marked the grand opening of the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center, built on the site of the World War II era Heart Mountain Relocation Center. The internment camp was one of ten mandated by the War Department in … Continue reading

Posted in Heart Mountain, Heart Mountain Relocation Center, Japanese American history, Japanese internment, World War II, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment