FINDING SOLACE IN THE SOIL

Finding Solace in the Soil explores the gardens of Amache, a War Relocation Authority incarceration camp in Colorado, where gardeners cultivated community in confinement. Combining physical evidence with oral histories and archival data, the book reveals how prisoners transformed the harsh military setting into a town resembling a gift to themselves and the future.

Format: Paperback
Length: 232 pages
Publication date: 15 June 2022
Publisher: COLORADO & UTAH STATE UNI PRES

Finding Solace in the Soil is a captivating book that delves into the largely unknown story of the gardens at Amache, the War Relocation Authority incarceration camp in Colorado. Combining physical evidence, oral histories, archival data, and personal photographs and memories of former Amache incarcerees, the book offers a rich and detailed account of how gardeners cultivated community in confinement. Before their incarceration, many of the prisoners at Amache had backgrounds as farmers, gardeners, or nursery workers. Between 1942 and 1945, they applied their horticultural expertise to the challenging high plains landscape of southeastern Colorado. Their goal was to create microclimates, reduce blowing sand, grow better food, and achieve stability and preserve community amidst the dehumanizing dispossession they faced.

Archaeologist Bonnie J. Clark examines a wealth of botanical data, including seeds, garden-related artifacts, and other material evidence found at Amache. She also conducts oral histories with survivors and analyzes archival data, including personal letters and government records, to recount the remarkable transformation of the camp into something resembling a town. Clark explores the diverse types of gardens found at Amache, their place within Japanese and Japanese American horticultural traditions, and the innovative approaches they adopted to make the most of limited camp resources. The prisoners viewed the gardens as a gift to themselves and to each other, recognizing their significance as repositories of generational knowledge. Through their creativity and horticultural skill, they demonstrated a philosophical stance toward nature that was made manifest through innovation and skill.

By framing the gardens and gardeners of Amache within the broader context of the incarceration of Japanese Americans and of recent scholarship on displacement and confinement, the book offers a profound understanding of the resilience and creativity of those who found solace in the soil amidst challenging circumstances. It serves as a testament to the power of human connection and the ability to create beauty and meaning in the face of adversity.

ISBN-13: 9781646423378