Manzanar, California

Manzanar
Manzanar is located in California
Manzanar
Manzanar
Location in California
Coordinates: 36°44′24″N 118°04′50″W / 36.74000°N 118.08056°W / 36.74000; -118.08056
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountyInyo County
Elevation3,727 ft (1,136 m)

Manzanar (Spanish for "apple orchard") was a town in Inyo County, California, founded by water engineer and land developer George Chaffey.[1] Most notably, Manzanar is known for its role in the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

It was situated on the former narrow-gauge railway line of the Southern Pacific Railroad 9 miles (14 km) north of Lone Pine,[2] at an elevation of 3,727 feet (1,136.0 m).[1]

A post office operated at Manzanar from 1911 to 1914.[2] Manzanar was a shipping point for the surrounding apple orchards before the diversion of water through the Los Angeles Aqueduct from the Owens Valley to Los Angeles.[2]

During World War II, the area was the location of the Manzanar War Relocation Center, where people of Japanese ancestry were held.[3]

  1. ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Manzanar, California
  2. ^ a b c Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, Calif.: Word Dancer Press. p. 1182. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
  3. ^ "Manzanar National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2010-06-24.