Supporting preservation, research, and education about Topaz and the WWII Japanese American incarceration experience.
From 1942 to 1945, more than 11,000 people of Japanese descent, most of them American citizens, were imprisoned in the high desert of Utah in a place called Topaz.
Get a glimpse of the Topaz site, the Topaz Museum, and the town of Delta:
Friends of Topaz Museum works to promote and support projects, events, research, community building and other activities that share and protect the story of Topaz, to honor those who lived the experience and to ensure it never happens again .
What is the Topaz Museum?
The Topaz Museum exists to preserve the Topaz site and its World War II history; to interpret the impact of Topaz on the prisoners, their families, and the residents of Millard County; and to educate the public in order to prevent a recurrence of a similar denial of American civil rights. Click below to learn more.
The Wakasa Memorial
Only days after the April 11, 1943 killing of James Hatsuaki Wakasa by a guard tower sentry, Topaz incarcerees erected a stone memorial at the site of his death. Almost immediately after, they were directed by the U.S. War Relocation Authority to take it down and remove it. The stone was half-buried, its face unseen and its location unknown for almost 80 years, until it was rediscovered in 2021. Read more about what has transpired since and stay tuned for ways to share your input on how it should be exhibited and interpreted going forward…
Topaz Stories on Exhibit in the Utah State Capitol Building!
A Topaz Stories exhibit showcasing the stories of 31 Topaz survivors and descendants opened in the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City on January 13, 2022. Read more to find out about the opening reception!
“The more people who are telling the story, the clearer the story becomes. We want to promote change, more building of connections, more collaboration. Our cultural inheritance is not a static tradition, but a growing tradition that does not lock you in, but inspires you to move forward. Being Japanese American means so many things. You decide what it means to you.”
— Kimi Hill, descendent of Topaz incarcerees
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