Amache National Historic Site Foundation Document

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The National Park Service has prepared a foundation document to guide future planning and management of Amache National Historic Site.

Amache, located near Granada, Colorado, was one of 10 incarceration camps established by the War Relocation Authority during World War II. On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, leading to the forced removal of more than 110,000 Japanese Americans from their homes on the West Coast to a system of incarceration sites.

On March 18, 2022, President Biden signed the Amache National Historic Site Act into law, starting the process to establish Amache as a new unit of the national park system. Amache National Historic Site's enabling legislation directs the National Park Service to preserve and protect Amache and to interpret Amache's history and continuing relevance for current and future generations.

On February 16, 2024, the Secretary of the Interior formally established Amache National Historic Site in Colorado, following the Town of Granada's acquisition and donation of the land needed to establish the nation's 429th unit of the national park service. Amache's establishment comes as the nation prepares for the Day of Remembrance of Japanese Incarceration During World War II, recognized each year on February 19.

In conjunction with the park's establishment, the National Park Service has completed its foundation document. A foundation document identifies a national park unit's core purpose and significance, its most important resources and values, and the key interpretive themes or concepts that tell its unique story. Foundation documents also identify important issues to be addressed in future planning and data collection efforts.

A foundation document is not intended to provide specific recommendations for how the park will be managed but will instead inform future decision making by documenting what is most important about Amache and what efforts are needed to protect and preserve its resources. Foundation documents are a required first step before comprehensive management and development planning.

You can find the document under the "document list" tab to the left.

Contact Information

Chris Mather, chris_mather@nps.gov