Recreation in Camp

As you look through the site glass, you see the camp swimming hole. After an internee Boy Scout drowned while swimming in the canal during the summer of 1943, the Administration ordered a large pit excavated just below the canal. The pit was lined with gravel and filled with water, and it became the Heart Mountain swimming hole.

One of the main problems facing the Heart Mountain administrators was keeping the internees busy. Swimming, a popular summer activity, was supervised by lifeguards and swimming instructors.

During the long winter, ice skating was a popular sport new to most internees. Youth football, basketball and softball teams were organized. High school sports teams were allowed to become members of the Wyoming Athletic Association and competed against surrounding schools. Judo, Kendo, sumo wrestling, boxing and girl's volleyball, basketball and softball teams were also organized. Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and Campfire Girls troops were active. After camp restrictions were eased, they could hike up Heart Mountain, camp on the Shoshone River, a practice outdoor cooking and crafts. Wyoming Senator Alan Simpson of Cody, Wyoming and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta, a former internee, met as Boy Scouts at Heart Mountain camp when the Cody troop came to visit the internee troop. The two Scouts formed a lifelong friendship and served together in the United States Congress.

The internees also adopted many hobbies including painting, woodcarving, cabinetry, pottery, flower arranging, and needlework. They participated in camp sponsored plays, dances, and traditional arts such as poetry, writing, mandolin, and Noh drama. An internee musical group traveled about northern Wyoming to help raise money for war bonds. Two movie theaters, the Dawn and the Pagoda, were established in barracks recreation halls and films were shown on weekends.

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Show me all markers in:  Powell, WY  |  Park County  |  82435  |  Wyoming  |  United States of America

Agriculture and Root Cellars
Administrative Area:
M.P. Station, Guard Tower, Rail & Train Station
Barracks Living Area:
Relocation Center Support Facilities
Heart Mountain High School:
Hospital Complex:
Heart Mountain Relocation Center Honor Roll and Flag Pole
Heart Mountain, Wyoming - Fall 1943
Daniel K. Inouye

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