Camp Harmony was the unofficial name of the Puyallup Assembly Center, a temporary facility within the system of internment camps set up for Japanese Americans during World War II. Approximately 7,390 Americans of Japanese descent in Washington state were sent to the camp before being sent to the Minidoka relocation center near Twin Falls, Idaho.
Camp Harmony was established in May 1942 shortly after the bombing attack on Pearl Harbor. The location for the assembly center was on and around the Western Washington FairgroundsinPuyallup, Washington. It consisted of four distinct areas:
In September 1942, the Japanese-Americans were sent to other locations, and the camp was torn down. Then, the Puyallup Fairgrounds were occupied by the U.S. Army 943rd Signal Service Battalion until they were transferred to Fort Lewis, Washington in December. From this time until the end of World War II, the Puyallup Fairgrounds remained closed.
The first postwar Fair took place in September 1946. [1]
47°10′58″N 122°17′43″W / 47.1828785°N 122.2953974°W / 47.1828785; -122.2953974
