Minidoka Irrigator

Volume 1 #1: Sept. 10, 1942

Page 1: The project director has a column noting it will be a few weeks before all the construction gets finished and everything is settled. There is some housing crowding at the moment but it should be fixed fairly soon. There will be some beet workers going off-project soon. 'Colonists' from Portland are arriving.

Page 2: A listing of the paper's staff. There are fifty policemen, and the first couple got wed in the camp.

The first editorial.

'Harmonious living' is the goal.

Page 3: There are a lot of job openings, school will open soon, and five students have relocated to other schools. 114 absentee ballots have been cast. 650 people are getting paychecks. There's also an article on the Minidoka hospital.

Page 4: Articles on the canteen, the post office, block managers, a fire truck has arrived, and the camp has over 7500 people. There have been eight births and two deaths.

Page 5, a map.

Page 6: There's an article about spreading rumors, an article about a library, continuations of articles on the post office, fire truck and job openings from earlier pages, and some glasses have been found.

Volume 1 #2: Sept. 18, 1942

The masthead.

Page 1: Nisei workers are being used on a farm. The Co-op is being organized. A lot of the camp area will be used for farming. There's enough coal, and someone from the JACL visited.

Page 2: The paper's staff is listed. School is starting. Applications for repatriation are being taken. A choir rehearsal is going to be held. Some Stockton people will be leaving for Arkansas.

An editorial.

Page 3: Housing is being re-organized. A census will be taken of the people in the camp.

A funeral is going to be held. There have been two births and one death. Activities heads are named, and there are several short notes.

Page 4: Forms are available for students who want to relocate to a school elsewhere. The traffic police force has been increased. Permits are needed for meetings in public halls. Legal aid is being offered the colonists by the WRA.

Page 5: Two ambulances have been acquired for the hospital. A sports program is being organized. The article on student enrollment continues. There will be a girls' softball team. The article on outside work is continued.

Page 6: The article on the co-op continues. There's an article about paychecks, and an article about absentee voting.

Volume 1 #3: Sept. 22, 1942

Page 1: Clothing will be distributed, the co-op is opening, and a fair labor board will be organized. The Twin Falls News-Times will have an article about the camp, and a shipment of coal is expected.

Page 2: A list of the paper's staff; unemployed will receive compensation; the article on co-operatives continues, and the band has played. An editorial is about the co-op.

Page 3: 300 more have left for farm work; invalids will be moved to new housing; a rattlesnake has been killed; 400 attended a funeral; a co-op will handle telegrams, and the canteen was robbed.

Page 4: Various coordinator posts have been filled. Theres an article on the library, one on the YWCA, one on the co-op cashing checks, job classifications will remain the same, handicraft classes are starting, athletes will get equipment, and the girls played a baseball game.

Volume 1 #4: Sept. 25, 1942

Page 1: Plans for a form of self-government for the camp are under way. Workers will be allowed to commute to farm work. There will be meetings discussing the self-government plan. Ten students are relocating to various colleges.

Page 2: The paper's staff is listed. There's an article about clothing distribution, absentee ballots, the census of the camp, and a marriage at Jerome.

Page 3: The housing jam is getting better, and there's a warning young boys to stop building dams along the canal near a certain block, as it could lead to flooding.

This is the first bit of information like this that I have found, that some Nisei sailors could end up being released to go back to sea.

They caught the thieves who had stolen from the canteen.

Page 4: There's an article about recreation, and one about a model plane flying. 4500 people have been moved from the Santa Anita Assembly center to the camp at Jerome. There's a very short article about Catholic church services at Hunt, and an article about how expensive some Japanese food items are.

Page 5: There returned from a trip to Salt Lake City, and there's an article on who block managers will be serving under. The dentist treats about forty cases a day. There are articles about the police force, three wells being added, and a canal being flooded on purpose.

Page 6: The camp post office has moved to new quarters. A barber shop and a beauty salon have opened or will open soon. Coupon books will end up being used. The article from page 1 about self-government continues. There will be a community sing, and schools will open soon. There have been two births and three deaths.

Volume 1 #5: Sept. 29, 1942

Page 1: There's a problem receiving personal belongings and goods due to a scarcity of trucks. The rehousing program has been revised, and there will be voting that night to chose block representatives. Dining hall workers will elect their delegates.

Page 2: The paper's staff is listed. There will be fifty people in a go tournament. The co-op will have a membership drive. Articles on housing and goods are continued from page 1. A deadline has been set for absentee ballots. A section 1 coordinator has been selected. There's a short article on a girls' softball game. There have also been two marriages.

Page 3: Public works jobs are still open. There will eventually be movies. Hot plates and other devices need to be turned in, at least until proper electrical wiring is set up. Many workers have gone to farms, and there will be a Japanese entertainment group. Change-of-address forms need to be sent to banks. Public meetings in public halls need to have a permit. Some recreation halls are being used as schools at Manzanar. There have been two deaths. A plan has been established to combat crime.

Page 4: School enrollment is 1076, and 43 Nisei have obtained teaching jobs. Fifty residents from one block somehow contracted food poisoning, although none of it was severe. There's an article on the twin girls that died. Printed copies of the maps of the colony are available. There will be a football passing and kicking contest. There's a column about various things seen at camp, like scorpions, rattlesnakes, etc, but I can't make out the title of the column; the copy is not in the greatest shape, making reading certain sections somewhat difficult.



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