Episode 7: Spirits and Speakeasies in East County

Last week, we were introduced to Gresham’s first Japanese settler - Miyo Iwakoshi. In episode 2 of Voices of Gresham, we'll take a closer look at how the issei and their nisei children followed in Miyo's footsteps to put down their own roots. Their families' experiences were much like those of many early 20th century American immigrants. Joy and hope were often coupled with tragedy and loss and would define the lives of Japanese American immigrants during the first half of the 20th century. 

On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. As war broke out, so did feelings of suspicion towards Japanese Americans, ultimately culminating in President Roosevelt’s internment order. Gresham’s Japanese families sold most of what they owned, left behind their farms, and boarded buses headed towards an unknown future. Most arrived at the Portland Assembly Center, where they found livestock stalls that they were temporarily forced to call home.  Join us as we travel with them on the first leg of their journey. 

In the summer of 1942, Gresham’s interned families were loaded onto trains and forcibly relocated to Hunt, Idaho. There they found an unfinished concentration camp called Minidoka, where they would live under guard for the next three years. Despite their imprisonment, many looked for ways to exercise autonomy and build community. They cultivated gardens in the dusty soil, started their own baseball teams, and created their own newspaper and yearbook. Join us as we uncover their incredible stories from the Idaho desert.

During internment, the Japanese had done their best to maintain autonomy and community despite their difficult  circumstances. While laboring at Nyssa and counting down the long desert days at Minidoka, many thought of what life would be like after the war. Upon leaving the camps, would they be embraced or rejected? Would they ever get back what was lost? In this episode, we examine what it was like for those who returned to their homes in Gresham.

 The decades following World War II were pivotal for Gresham’s Japanese American community. Many engaged with Japanese traditions alongside the American notion of freedom that internment had denied them. It was a time of reparations and rebuilding, of both seeking amends for the past and creating a better future. Through it all, Miyo Iwakoshi's unmarked  grave rested beneath a tall cedar – a symbol of strength and resilience throughout 100 years of history.

As we wander through the streets and fields of Gresham today, it’s easy to overlook the layers of history beneath our feet. On today's episode, we’ll journey through the environmental story of Gresham and uncover how millennia of constant transformation shaped the town we know today. Kayte Williamson and Kendal Young, our newest voices of Gresham, explore the powerful and sometimes surprising connections between the environment and the people who call this place home.