Jefferson in Park County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Ralph Carr Memorial Highway
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 5, 2020
1. Ralph Carr Memorial Highway Marker
Ralph L. Carr
Governor of Colorado (1939 - 1943)
Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, tens of thousands of Japanese Americans were forcibly sent to internment camps by the federal government. These Americans lost their property, possessions and freedom unjustly and without due process. Defying overwhelming popular sentiment, Governor Ralph Carr defended U.S. citizens of Japanese ancestry. His convictions were clear:
"When it is suggested that American citizens be thrown into concentration camps, where they lose all the privileges of citizenship under the Constitution, then the principles of that great document are violated and lost."
Governor Carr's brave and unpopular stand would cost him his political career but earned him the enduring respect of generations of Coloradans.
"...one voice, a small voice but a strong voice, like the voice of a sandpiper over the roar of the surf." Minoru Yasui
Erected in accordance with a 2008 Resolution of the Colorado General Assembly.
This memorial was made possible through the financial support of the Colorado Asian Pacific American Bar Foundation and other private donors.
Dedicated October 2010
Erected 2010.
Topics. This historical
this page online
Location. 39° 24.205′ N, 105° 45.269′ W. Marker is in Jefferson, Colorado, in Park County. Marker is on U.S. 285, on the right when traveling north. Marker is located in a pullout at Kenosha Pass. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Jefferson CO 80456, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 5 other markers are within 14 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. South Park (here, next to this marker); Tarryall Diggings (approx. 7.8 miles away); Shawnee Historic District (approx. 10.7 miles away); University of Denver (approx. 14.1 miles away); Drexel Lacey (approx. 14.1 miles away).
Also see . . .
1. Ralph L. Carr. Colorado Encyclopedia entry on the former governor. (Submitted on July 17, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
2. Ralph Carr: Defender of Japanese Americans. Colorado Virtual Library website entry (Submitted on July 17, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 5, 2020
2. Ralph Carr Memorial Highway Marker
Courtesy Colorado Encyclopedia
3. Ralph L. Carr
Ralph L. Carr (1887-1950) served as governor of Colorado from 1938 to 1942. A champion of both American exceptionalism and cultural diversity, Carr opposed blanket persecution of Japanese Americans during World War II. Although he cooperated with federal officials, Carr disagreed with the federal policy of imprisoning Japanese Americans solely because of their ancestry. His support for Japanese Americans ultimately cost him re-election in 1942.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 15, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 17, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 310 times since then and 43 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 17, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
