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Merritt Park, Manzanar National Historic Site, California
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The people incarcerated at Manzanar left a lasting legacy by creating more than 100 Japanese gardens. The most elaborate of the gardens was Merritt Park, named for the camp director, Ralph P. Merritt. Merritt Park served as community refuge from the hardships of camp. After Manzanar closed in 1945, many of the gardens disappeared as debris from demolished barracks, sand, and vegetation covered them. Recent archeological excavations have uncovered and stabilized some of these gardens including Merritt Park. Today you can view what’s left of this symbol of beauty and the resilience of the human spirit.
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