During
World War II, the Salinas Rodeo Grounds was one of the locations used as a temporary
detention camp for citizens and immigrant residents of Japanese ancestry, before they were relocated to more permanent and remote facilities. One of seventeen such sites overseen by the Wartime Civilian Control Administration, the Salinas Assembly Center was built after President
Roosevelt issued
Executive Order 9066, authorizing the
removal and confinement of Japanese Americans living on the West Coast. The camp opened on April 27, 1942, and held a total of 3,608 people before closing two months later on July 4, 1942. Most came from the Monterey Bay area and were transferred to the
Poston concentration camp, located on the
Colorado River Indian Reservation in Arizona. In 1980, the Salinas Assembly Center, along with eleven other former temporary detention sites, was designated
California Historical Landmark #934. A historical marker and memorial garden were dedicated on the 1984
Day of Remembrance. This location cannot be considered a National Historic Landmark due to its post-war use and land development. From July 1942 until 1945 the center was used by the
US Army VII Corps as the
Salinas Garrison. ==See also==