Tashme was an internment camp established by the Canadian government in 1942 to detain Japanese Canadians. It was the largest of the government-supported internment camps in Canada.
The camp was located just outside the 100-mile (160-kilometre) “restricted zone” designated by the government. Spanning approximately 1,200 acres, the camp housed up to 2,644 people at its peak.
The land used for the camp was originally a dairy and livestock farm known as “Fourteen Mile Ranch.” The government leased the property from its owner and converted it into an internment camp starting in July 1942.
The first detainees arrived on September 8, 1942, from Hastings Park in Vancouver, a temporary holding area for Japanese Canadians. They were transported in groups of 150 via train and bus.
The site for the Tashme Internment Camp was initially chosen to accommodate 500 families, primarily consisting of men aged 18 to 45 who had been separated from their families and living in roadside camps while working on the Hope-Princeton Highway construction. However, as the camp construction required labour, these men were allowed to reunite with their families. This necessitated the rapid expansion of housing, leading to the development of the Tashme camp.
Construction progressed swiftly due to the urgency of the internment process, and by December 1942, 347 housing units had been completed.
Closure in 1946 and Government Policy on Eastern Relocation
Despite the end of World War II in August 1945, the Canadian government forced Japanese Canadians to choose between relocating east of the Rockies or “repatriating” to Japan. The residents of Tashme began to leave, and the camp was officially closed on August 12, 1946.
Today, Tashme is known as Sunshine Valley. The Tashme Museum and Memorial Center has been established there to preserve the memory of the internment era, with exhibits and monuments ensuring that this history is not forgotten.
Tashme: http://tashme.ca/
***
***
