ETHNC 5900 Methodology: Asian Americans
Collections by or about Asian Americans
Contains transcripts of tapes and related transcription materials of 70 oral history interviews which document the lives of Japanese Americans who were interned at the Topaz War Relocation Center near Delta, Utah, during WWII. Also included are copies of articles and other research materials.
Contains transcripts of interviews with Japanese Americans living in Utah. The community members discuss growing up in Japan and/or the United States; their family, work, and religious lives; internment during WWII at the Topaz and Hart Mountain camps; and relations with Mormons and other Utahns. 47 oral history transcripts have been digitized.
- ACCN 1440 Kennecott Copper Corporation, Utah Copper Division Records, circa 1900-2000 [finding aid]
Consists of personnel records, schematics, and administrative and property records for this Utah mining, smelting, and refining company. A significant portion of the collection is handwritten employment cards dating from 1900-1919. They record employee information including name, address, dependents, nationality, compensation, and other information. Over 40,000 cards have been digitized, representing a group of employees that includes Asian immigrants, European immigrants, Americans, and other groups.
- ACCN 1479 Carbon County Oral History Project, 1972-1993 [finding aid]
Contains transcripts of oral histories from residents of Carbon County, Utah. While the primary focus of the interviews are on living in coal mine country, the participants often discuss their lives as immigrants or the children of immigrants from countries including Japan, Austria, and Italy. 47 transcripts have been digitized.
Consists of transcripts of oral histories of people who lived during WWII. Participants, who include people born in the United States as well as immigrants from Asia and Europe, discuss their daily lives during the war, military service and other topics. 352 transcripts have been digiized.
- ACCN 2838 Chieko N. Okazaki Papers, 1924-2012 [finding aid]
Consists of correspondence, administrative documents, and memorabilia from Okazaki's teaching career, the Japan-Okinawa and Japan Central Missions, and her term as the first woman of color to serve as a LDS Relief Society General Presidency member, as well as speeches and manuscripts from her time as an author and speaker. Okazaki was born in Hawai'i in 1926 and raised Buddhist before converting to the LDS Church in 1942. The digitized materials are primarily her diaries and those of her husband, Edward Y. Okazaki.
- MS 0095 Golden Spike Oral History Project, 1947-1974 [finding aid]
Contains transcripts of interviews documenting the history of the Golden Spike National Historic Site. Participants discuss their childhoods in Utah, Europe, Mexico and Asia; daily life near Promontory, Utah; working on the railroad; and ethnic relations. 26 transcripts have been digitized.
Consists of photographs of the Tule Lake War Relocation Center near Newell, California. The photographs were taken between 1942 and 1943 and are representative of the conditions of the camps and the lives of the Japanese Americans who lived in them. There are photographs of living quarters, classrooms, parades, office workers, and farm laborers. 317 of 352 photographs have been digitized.
- P0149 Henry Y. Kasai Photograph Collection, 1890-1966 [finding aid]
Consists of photographs of businessman, interpreter, and community leader Henry Kasai at public events as well as pictures of his family. Born in Japan in 1890, Kasai immigrated to the United States in 1904 to attend school and work as an agricultural laborer. After becoming an insurance salesman, Kasai moved to Salt Lake City where he was an advocate for Japanese-owned businesses and a founding member of the Utah Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL). All 141 photographs have been digitized.
- P0544 Mike M. Masaoka Photograph Collection, circa 1945-1986 [finding aid]
Consists of photographs of Masaoka at political and social events, as well as images from his service in WWII and of his family. Masaoka was born in Fresno in 1915 and was raised in Salt lake City. He later became active in the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and helped form the 442nd Infantry Regiment of the US Army, which was almost entirely composed of 2nd generation Japanese Americans (Nisei) who fought in Italy, France, and Germany during WWII. Masaoka lobbied for reparations for Japanese Americans who had been forced into internment camps during the war and was honored for his work in both the US and Japan. All 140 photographs have been digitized.
- P0884 Wallace and Mary Doi Digital Photograph Collection, early 1900s-1970s [finding aid]
Consists of images of Wallace and Mary Doi, including their family life, restaurant, and Wallace's time as a soldier in WWII. Born in Hawaii, Wallace joined the Japanese American 442nd Infantry Regiment Company L and fought in Italy. He lost a leg during a combat mission and recovered from his injuries at Bushnell Hospital in Brigham City, Utah. After the war, Wallace married Mary Murakami and they opened the Aloha Fountain Cafe in Salt Lake City. This collection contains no physical materials, only digital scans of 447 photographs.
Consists of photographs of ice skaters during competitions. Tateoka began ice-skating as a child in Los Angeles. After moving to Utah to avoid being sent to a relocation camp during WWII, she continued skating at the Hygeia Iceland in Sugar House, Salt Lake City, which opened in 1949 as the first man-made ice rink. She joined the Utah Figure Skating Club and became Utah's first World Figure skating Judge in 1982. 425 of 434 items have been digitized.
- P1018 Sumi (Sue) Niiya Takemoto Digital Photograph Collection, late 1930s-early 1950s [finding aid]
Contains digital scans taken from Takemoto's scrapbook, showing her and her acquaintances during their teenage and early adult years. Originally from Portland, Oregon, the Niiya family was interned in the Minidoka War Relocation Center in Jerome County, Idaho, during WWII. Though cameras were banned from the camps, Sumi was able to take several photographs while interned there. The majority of the images consist of both candid shots and formal portraits taken in Oregon, Idaho, and Utah. 679 of 680 images are available online.
Consists of 52 digital scans of photographs depicting Matsukawa's military service in Italy with the 442nd Infantry Regiment during WWII. Photos include scenes of camp life, soldiers as tourists in Italy, and a celebration parade.
Consists of photograph of church buildings, members, leaders, and others involved with the Japanese Church of Christ. The church was founded in October 1918 in Salt Lake City, Utah, and originally was located in Japantown at 135 South 100 West. It moved to its present location in 1924. The majority of the photographs are from the Hirasawa family album. All 303 images have been digitized.
Contains 23 images of Seiko's military service, a family business, and other subjects. The majority of the photographs document Seiko's time in the 442nd Infantry Regiment and 100th Infantry Battalion (which was composed largely of former members of the Hawaii Army National Guard and other Japanese American Nisei soldiers) during WWII or show the OK Cafe in Salt Lake City's Japantown, which was owned by Sumi's family. All of the images have been digitized.
Contains 3 photographs showing George's life. They depict George in his ROTC uniform, his class at Salt Lake High School (now West High), and his and Yasuko's wedding day. All 3 images have been digitized.
