Issei Memorial Exhibit 

Through the support of a 2016 Japanese American Confinement Sites grant and the generous donations of our supporters through the years, we unveiled Issei: A Legacy of Courage at the community dedication of the Minidoka visitor center during the 2019 Minidoka Pilgrimage. This memorial exhibit honors the Issei, or the immigrant generation of Minidoka incarcerees, through interpretive panels and a memorial wall featuring the names of over 4,400 Issei incarcerated at Minidoka. A photo essay and additional information are provided here.

National Archives Photo Digitization

Through the support of a 2018 Japanese American Confinement Sites grant and in partnership with Densho, we worked with a researcher to digitize nearly 1,000 images held in the National Archives, most of which were unprinted film negatives from the official WRA records, in which government photographers were hired to document the Minidoka camp during the war. Most of these images did not yet exist in a digital format, and will help future generations of researchers and descendants better understand Minidoka.

They will help Friends of Minidoka tell the story of the Minidoka experience through exhibits, our film and curriculum project, and more. These images are now available to view through the Densho website! View photo collection here.

Baseball Field Reconstruction

Thanks to all of your support in our crowdfunding campaign and in mailing in donations, Friends of Minidoka was able to raise approximately $25,000 to completely cover the construction costs for the addition of a historic baseball diamond at Minidoka National Historic Site. Thank you to the donors who made it possible!

Guard Tower Reconstruction

The Friends of Minidoka, National Park Service, and Boise State University’s Department of Construction Management collaboratively designed and reconstructed one of the guard towers that surrounded the boundaries of Minidoka. Friends of Minidoka was awarded a $280,378 grant for the project through the Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant Program. Thanks to all the donors who made this project possible with your matching contributions! Read more at the Guard Tower Reconstruction Website set up by Boise State University.