"Snow Country Prison"

Sixty-eight years ago it was a Department of Justice internment camp. Now it’s a United Tribes Technical College, dedicated to the education of American Indian students.

In 1941 the U. S. Justice Department converted Fort Lincoln from a surplus military post to an internment camp. Its purpose—to detain people arrested in the United States as enemy aliens. Over its five-year operation as a camp, the Bismarck, North Dakota, facility housed about 1,500 men of German nationality and more than 1,800 of Japanese ancestry. The arrests were done under the authority of the Alien Enemies Act; these "enemy aliens" were removed from their homes, primarily on the east and west coasts, and sent to camps in isolated parts of the country.

The North Dakota Museum of Art, in collaboration with the Minnesota Region 2 Arts Council, presents "Snow Country Prison: Interned in North Dakota" from September 1 - 25, 2009, in Park Rapids, Minnesota. There will be a public opening and reception on September 1, from 5 to 7 p.m.

The exhibit, at the North Country Museum in Park Rapids, will be open Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.. There is no charge for admission, however, visitors may contribute a free will offering.

The exhibit will then follow this schedule:

October 6 – 20
White Earth Veterans Memorial Building
Mahnomen, MN

November 3 – 13
Audi Theatre
Cando, ND

November 27 – December 10
Roseau City Center
Roseau, MN

All Minnesota sites are funded by the Met Life Foundation. For more information, visit the North Dakota Museum of Art website.

This is a powerful exhibit, so please let us know what your impressions are. Just register or sign in to add a comment.