During WWII the United States government forced Japanese Americans into internment camps such as Manzanar. The government purposefully built Manzanar away from urban areas and in a location with arable land so the internees could farm and make the camps self-sustaining. In addition to growing food, the Japanese detainees created elaborate gardens throughout the camps.

The U.S government cleared 1500 acres of land in the Owens Valley region to build the Manzanar Camp. To provide water for the site the government reconditioned an old ditch system and built a canal to siphon off water from the Los Angeles Aqueduct. The produce grown in the farms provided the mess hall kitchens with lettuce, tomatoes, eggplant, string beans, horseradish, and cucumbers.

The supply of water also enabled the Japanese to create gardens and parks throughout the camp that celebrated their culture. Gardens like the ones found by the hospital and mess halls had concrete-lined ponds with streams and decorative bridges. Pleasure Park, nestled between two buildings, housed over 100 species of flowers along with a Japanese teahouse and a Dutch oven.

The intricate gardens at Manzanar and the use of the county’s water generated some resentment among the neighboring communities of Owens Valley, who felt the Japanese Americans lived in luxurious conditions. However, despite this alleged luxury intense dust storms, that invaded all areas of life, constantly plagued the internees. After WWII the government closed the Manzanar internment camp but the National Park Service currently preserves and interprets the area. The harsh climate has destroyed most of the gardens, and all that remains today are remnants of the rock gardens.