First Street, Manzanar, USA

First Street, Manzanar, USA. . , Standing here in 1943, you would have been at the nerve center of camp life: First Street. Supply trucks and automobiles rumbled by on this thoroughfare, where the lines between camp life and the world outside seemed to intersect. The street always bustled with activity, as internees and administrators together transacted the business of camp. , , The white buildings on the street's south side included the War Relocation Authority (WRA) offices and staff housing as well as the Town Hall, where elected block leaders met weekly. At the main post office, 1,500 letters arrived each day to be delivered to barracks addresses. On the north side of the street, black tar-papered barracks housed the police station, Manzanar Free Press newspaper office, and other camp functions and services. Wooden signs identifying each swayed outside in the Owens Valley wind. , , A typical morning on First Street saw secretary Mary Kageyama walking to her job at the Public Works office and Jack Takayanagi signing up for a softball league at the Community Activities office. Marian Fujimoto checked the job board for employment opportunities out of camp, while WRA staff children Art Williams and Fred Causey waited near the sentry post to catch the school bus to Independence.