AC1 Donald Estes Research Collection Dates: 1889 - 2004 Size: 11.5 linear feet (26 boxes) Abstract: Donald H. Estes (1936-2005) was a San Diego based historian and educator who wrote and taught about the Japanese American experience in both Southern California and the nation. This collection contains many of the books and articles he wrote, as well as his extensive research files. It also includes materials he collected from the Japanese American community in order to document their internment during World War II. Biographical/Historical Notes: Donald Hamilton Estes was born in Nebraska in 1936. He and his family moved to the San Diego’s North Park neighborhood in 1939. He entered San Diego City College in 1954, and completed BA and Master’s degrees from San Diego State University by 1966. In 1960, Estes began teaching Advanced History and Government at La Jolla High School, leaving the school in 1967 to become Professor of History and Political Science at San Diego City College. From 1969 to 1973, he also served as Adjunct Professor of Education at the University of California at San Diego, and held a similar position at San Diego State University during 1974-1975. Also during the 1970s, Estes performed curriculum development work for the California Department Education and served as a Fellowships Program Evaluator for the National Endowment for the Humanities. In 1986, San Diego City College awarded Estes the Golden Apple Award for Outstanding Teaching. He retired from San Diego City College in 2003. Estes sat on the Board of the San Diego Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League from 1967 on, and served twice as president. He was a founding member of the Japanese American Historical Society of San Diego (JAHSSD) and served that organization as historian and curator. Estes was among the first historians to serve on the Scholarly Advisory Board of the Japanese American National Museum beginning in 1989. Estes' oral history interviews and research produced six books, published between 1971 and 1996. He also authored numerous scholarly articles, many published in the Journal of San Diego History. Estes also curated exhibitions and served as adviser or director of several films and video productions. At the time of his death, Estes was working on an extensive history of the Japanese in America. According to Ben Segawa, founding president and executive director of the Japanese American Historical Society of San Diego, “Estes was the acknowledged expert on the history of our community, the heart and soul of our organization. He was known as an inspiring teacher and in his scholarly pursuits, addressed what he called a natural void that was waiting to be filled.” 1 Estes both collected and generated significant materials that would otherwise not be available for research today. He died on May 7, 2005 at the age of 68. Scope and Content: Donald H. Estes (1936-2005) was a San Diego based historian and educator who wrote and taught about the Japanese American experience in Southern California and the nation. The bulk of this collection contains his research files for his many books and articles, his writings, as well as the sources he collected from the Japanese American community in order to document their internment during World War II. The research materials contain original documents as well as copies. Included are state and federal government reports and publications, photographs, and ephemera related to Japanese Americans and their activities. Resources also detail Japanese American businesses and organizations within the communities. Contents are in both English and Japanese. The writings of Donald Estes are also included as well as project materials related to California's Alien Land Laws, and a range of unique primary source materials pertinent to the study of Japanese and Japanese Americans in San Diego and California. This collection reflects his work as an educator and scholar, and represent an important resource for understanding Estes and his passion for and contributions to the study of Japanese Americans as well as being a comprehensive resource for students and scholars of the internment, resettlement and redress experiences of San Diego Japanese Americans. Arrangement: The Donald Estes Collection is arranged by series: Series I: Internment Series II: Articles and Essays Series III: Subject Files Series IV: California Alien Land Law Series V: JACL Projects Series VI: UCLA Primary Sources Project Series VII: Japanese in Pre-WWII San Diego For further clarity, each series has an additional detailed Scope and Content Citation: Donald Estes Research Collection, AC 1, Japanese American Historical Society of San Diego Archives Collection Access Restrictions: The collection is open for research. Collection Use Restrictions: Restrictions may apply. Language of Materials: English and Japanese. Condition and Preservation: The collection is in fair condition. Many items have been copied for preservation purposes. 2 Processing Information: Johanna Bright, 2019. Separated Materials: The oral history interviews have been removed from this collection to the JAHSSD Oral History Collection. Provenance: Created and collected by Donald Estes and donated by his wife, Carol Estes. Series I: WWII Internment Scope and Content: This series contains materials related to the Japanese American internment experience during World War II. The primary focus is on Poston internment camp, but there is information on other camps. Included are camp newsletters, literature, forms, directories / rosters, government reports, photographs and personal correspondence. There are also materials pertaining to relocation and resettlement. Source materials are both original and copies. Of specific interest are a comprehensive collection of camp newsletters, school yearbooks and letters to Clara Breed at San Diego Public Library. Significant documents include FBI rosters of property holdings by Japanese in San Diego County (1940) and the collected poetry of the Gila River Senryu Poem Club (1944-1945). Arrangement: This series is arranged alphabetically by subject Box Folder Title/Subjects Date 1 1 Amache, CO (Granada): 1942-1945 Grant project – “Amache” by Robert Y. Fuchigami Includes copies of reports, chronological history, maps etc. 1 2 Amache, CO (Granada): 1942-1945 Grant project – “Amache” by Robert Y. Fuchigami Includes photographs (paper copies) of various camp activities. 1 3 Amache (Granada) Internment Camp, CO: 1942-1945 Grant project – “Amache” by Robert Y. Fuchigami Includes photographs (paper copies) of various camp activities. 3 1 4 Amache (Granada) Internment Camp, CO: 1942-1945 Grant project – “Amache” by Robert Y. Fuchigami Includes photographs (paper copies) of various camp activities. 1 5 Amache (Granada) Internment Camp, CO: 1942-1945 Grant project – “Amache” by Robert Y. Fuchigami Includes photographs (paper copies) of various camp activities. 1 6 Amache (Granada) Internment Camp, CO: 1943, August 25 Camp newspaper – “Granada Pioneer” Vol. 1, #94, 1 7 Bismark, ND (DOJ): 1942 Letters (2) – from Chiyomatsu Hirasaki to Clara Breed (copies) 1 8 Crystal City, TX (DOJ) : 1945-1946 Camp newspaper – “Crystal City Times” Vol. II and III (incomplete) 1 9 Crystal City, TX (DOJ) : 1943 Camp Newspaper – “JIHO” English Section, Vol. 1, #1, 2, 5 1 10 Crystal City, TX (DOJ) : 1944 Yearbook – Federal High School “44 Roundup” (2 copies) 1 11 Crystal City, TX (DOJ) : 1945 Report – “Historical Narrative on Crystal City Internment Camp” (Government report by Mr. McCollister) 1 12 Crystal City, TX (DOJ) : 1944 Roster - Wartime Japanese Internees Family Roster (in Japanese and English) 4 1 13 Fort Missoula, MT (DOJ): 1942 Postcards (paper copies) - illustrated postcards by Rev. Guzei Nishii 1 14 Gila River Internment Camp, AZ: 1943, July 20 Booklet- “A Year at Gila” 1 15 Gila River Internment Camp, AZ: 1943, Camp newspaper – “Gila News-Courier” Anniversary September 12 Supplement 1 16 Gila River Internment Camp, AZ: 1943-1944 Reports - Navy Department intelligence reports on boy gangs in camp 1 17 Gila River Internment Camp, AZ: 1944-1945 Booklets - Senryu Poem Club (location unverified) Vol. 2, #4, 5, 6, 7; Vol. 3, #4, 6 1 18 Government Documents: Executive Order 9066. 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt February 19 1 19 Government Documents: Civilian Exclusion Orders 4 and 16. 1942, Western Defense Command and Fourth Army, San Francisco April 1, 23 1 20 Government Documents: c.1943 Form - Loyalty Statement (blank) of United States Citizen of Japanese Ancestry 2 1 Intelligence Reports: FBI 1940 Roster - Japanese aliens registered at San Diego County Post Office by city and surname 2 2 Intelligence Reports: FBI 1940 Roster – Property holdings by Japanese in San Diego County including names and addresses 5 2 3 Intelligence Reports: Eleventh Naval District (San Diego) 1935 -1943 Reports (copies) – “radical activities” 2 4 Intelligence Reports: Eleventh Naval District (San Diego) 1944 -1945 Reports (copies) – “activities of subversive and potentially subversive elements” 2 5 Intelligence Reports: Navy Department 1941 Reports – “Japanese on the West Coast” by C.B. Munson and comments on this report by K.D. Ringle 2 6 Internment Miscellanea: 1943 Newspaper articles – media coverage, moving , relocation, and employment 2 7 Internment Miscellanea: c. 1942 List - Assembly Center Internees at various camp locations (in Japanese and English) 2 8 Internment Miscellanea: 1945, Newsletter – Pacific Citizen Vol. 21, #10 September 8 2 9 Internment Miscellanea: