By JEANNIE TOSHIMA
Have you ever made a visit to Brawley or El Centro or even heard of these places? These two towns (plus many others in this area) whose city limits just about kiss the Mexican border are full of rich Japanese American history.
You may want to consider making the roughly 200-mile trip to see the Imperial County Pioneers’ Museum, whose mission is to preserve the histories of early Imperial Valley settlers. Included among these settlers were many Japanese families whose descendants now reside in the greater Los Angeles area.
In late February, a busload of passengers made this trek to Imperial County. Some had family history in this area; others on the bus were lured by an overnight stay at Alpine’s Viejas Casino.
A stop was made in Mecca, a city a few miles north of the Salton Sea, where the bus picked up Tim Asamen, who was born and raised in Imperial County and was our docent for this tour. Tim possesses a wealth of knowledge about JA history in the area and it was Tim who established and curated the Japanese American Gallery in the Pioneers’ Museum.
Tim had the bus drive along the Salton Sea’s eastern shore, and he described the sea’s origin and the agricultural development of the area.
Prior to the trip, participants whose families had roots in the area shared their names with Tim, and as we proceeded south through the cities of Niland, Calipatria, and Brawley, he was able to point out locations of some of those families’ farms, schools, and businesses. These stories not only made this tour very personal, but it proved to be a very educational experience for everyone on the bus.
At the museum, Tim described in detail the different exhibits in the Japanese American gallery. He made note of the Japanese pioneers’ many contributions, especially in the field of agriculture.
As the participants viewed the many items and photos on display, one could see the excitement on their faces when they found the names and pictures of relatives and family friends. For the members of the Kobayashi, Goto, Kodama, Sase, Yamaguchi, Sakaniwa, and Oda families, this trip was a very meaningful experience.
But even those who did not have roots in the Imperial Valley were pleased to have learned so much about how the Japanese contributed to growth and development there. This museum visit could have lasted a few more hours — there is so much to see and learn.