Former internees returning to Topaz

Several Japanese-Americans who were once forced to live in dusty barracks in west-central Utah are returning this weekend for a special ceremony.

The site of the former Topaz internment camp, 16 miles northwest of Delta, is now a National Historic Landmark.

Between 1942 and 1945, as many as 8,000 Japanese Americans from the San Francisco area were interned at Topaz while the United States was at war with Japan.

In April the site was added to a list of just 12 in Utah with the federal designation, said Jane Beckwith, president of the board of directors of the Topaz Museum in Delta.

"It's a rather elite crowd," Beckwith said. "We're hoping for awareness."

And, she said, the designation means the museum board will be able to apply for grants and work with the National Park Service, "so they can advise us how to manage it. We'll still be the owners."

The plaque indicating the designation will be unveiled at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Afterward, people can tour various blocks and hear the history of those who lived at camp.

Beckwith hopes the public ceremony will draw anyone interested in learning about the sites history.

"This is not just for internees, this is for the whole state," she said.

The Topaz Museum Board now owns 626 acres of the 640 acres where barracks once stood on the 19,000 acre site. The board is currently working with the city of Delta and the Great Basin Museum to build a Topaz museum in Delta. The museum is currently housed in the Great Basin Museum.

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E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com