New memorial honors Japanese Americans incarcerated at the Washington State Fairgrounds

Thousands of Japanese Americans were incarcerated at the Washington State Fairgrounds during World War II.

Now, there is an effort to create a permanent memorial gallery for those who were held here.

If you or a loved one lived at these camps, the Japanese American Citizens League is asking you to make sure those names are listed here.

If you have attended the Washington State Fair in Puyallup, you may have been eating cotton candy and corn dogs along the roller coaster and the grandstand. On that very spot, over 7,600 Japanese Americans were incarcerated.

Eighty years ago, executive order 9066 was signed. It allowed the forced removal of all Japanese Americans on the West Coast. They were locked up in military style "barracks." Converted animal pens and horse stalls served as living spaces, offices, and hospitals.