Nature

Left image
Credit: Courtesy of APS, McClelland collection

Right image
Credit: Courtesy of APS, McClelland collection

Before and after of one of the many gardens created at Amache.

 

The one thing my father told us, repeatedly, was the miracles wrought by fellow prisoners...as they transformed the barren area to one where things grew...Guns, guards, barbed wire, hastily constructed housing in harsh conditions...and their pride when they transformed the unforgiving soil.

—Margaret Harada Ibrahim Mori, Amache descendent

 

The nature and the people of Amache were tightly intertwined. In the 1930s, eastern Colorado was ravaged by the Dust Bowl. What vegetation was able to reestablish by the 1940s was leveled during the construction of the site. The first people arriving at Amache were greeted by a barren, desert-like landscape. Soon, they began to transform the landscape to one full of life. They created art inspired by the natural world and from foraged plant material. Their influences can still be seen at the site today.

 

Many of the trees at Amache grow in distinct rows,

NPS Photo/J. Ellis

Planting Trees

One of the first things people at Amache did to make the landscape more livable was planting trees. They planted trees outside barracks, around mess halls and latrines, and anywhere else where people may gather and spend time. Most of the trees that were planted were Siberian elms, a non-native species that grows well in disturbed areas. After Amache closed, the trees continued to grow and thrive.

Many of the trees that were planting by incarcerees are still alive today. These trees, along with their offspring, have provided some refuge for birds in a generally treeless region. Amache, along with the nearby Arkansas River, has become a birding destination in recent years. Initial bird surveys show as many as 40 bird species may be present in the park.

 

Gardens provided a place of comfort, tranquility, and normalcy to the gardeners and other incarcerated people.

Courtesy of Amache Preservation Society, McClelland collection

Gardens at Amache

It didn't take long before gardens started popping up around Amache. Gardens were built around communal spaces like mess halls. Smaller, personal gardens were also built around entryways of barracks. They were a way to stay busy while creating a place of beauty and calm within the barbed wire.

Many people incarcerated at Amache had backgrounds in horticulture and agriculture. Archeological assessment of the soils in the gardens found soil amendments in the form of eggshells, tea bags from the mess halls, and iron slag from the blacksmith shop.

Victory Gardens

Some gardens were victory gardens. Victory gardens were common across the US during WWII. They provided vegetables more familiar to Japanese Americans to mess halls and allowed people to stretch the daily food rations further. For some, it was a way to contribute to the war effort and show their patriotism.

Japanese Gardens

Other gardens were more ornamental and a way to make the harsh landscape more livable. Many contained elements of traditional Japanese-style gardens. Some included water features, like koi ponds or waterfalls. The gardens were created with found materials like chunks of concrete left over from the site's construction and stones from the nearby Arkansas River. Native plants were transplanted from nearby areas and used in the landscaping features.

 

The vase on the right was crafted from a yucca root.

Courtesy of Amache Preservation Society, McClelland collection.

Art and Nature

Much of the artwork that was created at Amache was either inspired by or made from parts of the natural world. Many paintings feature the wide open skies and grasslands of southeastern Colorado. Small, wooden pins were carved to resemble the native western meadowlark. Yucca roots were dug up and turned into vases (seen in the image on the left) or sculptures.

 

Mule deer are commonly seen around Amache.

NPS Photo/J. Ellis

Return of the prairie

After the closure in 1945, the buildings were removed or destroyed and the land was auctioned to the highest bidder. The Town of Granada purchased the land that makes up Amache National Historic Site in order to gain access to the wells and supply the town with water. The lack of disturbance allowed for the return of the native prairie ecosystem. The land was eventually fenced in and leased to local ranchers for grazing for many years.

The prairie ecosystem at Amache is still thriving. Wet years bring large wildflower blooms. The grasslands support populations of mule deer and other wildlife.