Agriculture and Root Cellars

Agriculture and Root Cellars. . As you look through the site glass, you will see the only remaining root cellar of the original three. It is on private land and may not be visited. The evacuees cultivated farmland north of the living area, across the highway to the south and southwest as far as Corbett Bridge over the Shoshone River. Remains of hot beds may be seen below just to the right of this point. , The War Relocation Authority (WRA) budget for food was 45 cents per day per person. However, actual costs were 32 cents per day. The need for an adequate food supply and fresh vegetables were major factors in the internees starting a to grow many of their own crops. , More than 1,750 acres of federal land near the Heart Mountain Center was available for farming if the Shoshone Canal could be completed to bring water from the Shoshone Dam hydroelectric project. The canal, which had been started by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), was competed by the internees in time for planting in the spring of 1943. , The Heart Mountain region averages 109 growing days per year, with crop harvest required before early frost in September. The farmers from the Yakima Valley in Washington were especially helpful in teaching methods they had developed for growing crops in a short growing season. Hot caps and hot beds were two methods used to grow plants, Crops raised in quantity were: wheat, barley, celery, corn, peas, radishes, daikon (a giant radish), nappa (a variety of cabbage), potato, gobo and melons. Root cellars, built by the internees, were used to store vegetables. Canning of some produce was done by contract with Big Horn Canning in Cowley, Wyoming. In addition to crops, over 1,000 hogs and 15,000 chickens were raised and over a million eggs were produced for consumption at Heart Mountain and other WRA camps since no outside sales were permitted. , James Ito and Eiichi Sakauye who were experienced large-scale farmers in California, were valuable Internee Assistant Farm Superintendents responsible for these crops. , In 1942 and 1943, many internees volunteered to work on farms in war caused labor-short Wyoming, Montana and Idaho to help save the sugar beet harvest. The internees transformed this section of Wyoming's Big Horn Basin into productive farmland. Local farmers still say to former internees, "You people showed us what could be done on this land." , In the brochure at the kiosk you may see a complete list of all crops grown and harvested at Heart Mountain Camp during the years 1943-1944.