Santa Anita Pacemaker, Issues 1 through 5

I do not have access to the first issue.

Vol. 1 #2, April 24, 1942

Page 1: There's a major article about draft registration starting the next day. There have been 1866 job assignments at the camp. There will be a movie that night, and a softball tournament will be soon. Finally, there's an article saying that empty coke bottles need to be returned.

It's interesting to compare this first page to the first page of the other newsletter I've looked at so far, the one from Tanforan. Tanforan's newsletters generally tried to stay to a general theme for each page. There was sports, major news, editorials and a women's column, etc.

The first page of the Pacemaker covers a bunch of different things on the same page. It will be interesting to see if the paper evolves into a more organized one. Note: I do these reviews as I look at the newsletters; I don't know in advance what they contain or precisely how they are written.

Page 2: Win, Place and Show seems to be a column of short comments from the editors. The library is going to open, and there was a birthday party for a woman who was 25 years old. A short column on the work schedule, and a note from the lost and found make two more articles for the page. A Los Angeles Weekly paper made reference to the Pacemaker, and the paper had to apologize because it wrongly announced an engagement in the last issue.

Page 3: Typhoid inoculations are going to take place. Seven babies have been born at the camp so far. There's a short article on the Internal Police Staff. There's also an article on the camp's canteen (a general store, basically.)

There's an article on the warehouse operation, another on the paper siting the Pacemaker, and an article asking people not to throw banana peelings or apple cores into the ditches or the streets.

Page 4: A note that changes of address need to be filed, and a schedule for church services for two of the articles. Softball sign up for junior boys is going on. There's a short article that people are not allowed to move from one apartment to another without permission (using the term “apartment” very, very loosely.)

A playfield is almost done, and children five to twelve are urged to attend recreation classes. Social clubs for Issei are being formed.

Vol. 1 #3: April 28, 1942

Page 1: 760 men were registered for the draft. 800 people attended a songfest. There are two articles relating to postal matters, and an article about two softball games that are to be played at night.

Page 2: There's a continuation of the post office information, including postage rates and rules.

This is the kind of thing I like to find. A map of how things were set up at that time. This will give the modern reader a good idea that what was going on did not involve just a few people in tents; this was a heck of a lot of people gathered up in one place and living in barracks.

Page 3: The postage article continues onto its third page. There's going to be a may pole dance for girls seven through thirteen. The movie shown was "The Gang's All Here."" Some short subjects and cartoons were also featured. A new mess hall is going to open that week, and there's an article on what was going on in the churches.

Page 4: The Win, Place and Show editorials/news bits section is included. There's also baseball results and the canteen has posted it's operating hours. Some new arrivals to the camp are welcomed by the editors.

A photographer has been taking pictures, and the pictures will be made available to various newspapers.

Vol. 1 #4: May 1, 1942

Page 1: A baby has been born within the limits of the camp. The other babies probably were born in local hospitals. The population of the camp has reached 10, 327. A civic hall is being built. Fire prevention rules (all of them quite sensible) are announced. A Santa Anita band has been formed and greeted new arrivals. The other article on the page is about postal districts being formed.

Page 2: Recreation activities are listed, and these include scouting, junior softball, and dance band. There's also an article on some problems with electricity that the camp has been having.

A map of District 2.

This is just the type of informational tidbit that gets lost in time. Chlorinated foot baths!

Page 3: Rules for the use of government property are noted. A girl's softball league is starting, and boy's softball information is given. Handicraft classes are being opened, including knitting, crocheting, pattern drawing, and pattern cutting. Milk and orange juice will be sold by the canteen. The article on the community sing greeting new arrivals is continued on this page.

Page 4: Church services are noted, and the Win, Place and Show article is on this page also. There will be a get-acquainted dance the following night. There's an article that people need to list any additional skills they might have on papers they filed previously, as there may be some jobs opening for skills people hadn't noted.

Vol. 1 #5: May 5, 1942

Page 1: The organization of boy scout troops is starting. There's also an article about things going on in the churches. The center needs more professional cooks. The Pacemaker is asking anyone who has the first issue, or the premier issue, to bring them to the paper. (This might explain why my source did not have the first issue or the premier issue.) There's also an article on the importance of recreational activities.

Page 2: There will be a meeting of managers of teams involved in the Twilight Softball league. Recreational activities are noted in another article, and these include dance, checkers, chess, a boy's club, and a dance band. Another baby has been born at the center itself.

Map of district III.

Page 3: One of the residents had surgery for an appendicitis attack. It went successfully. The hospital is adding more people to its staff as the population of the assembly center increased by 5000 in one week, and now stands at 11,984. The girls are going to have their own Twilight softball league.

The articles on the church activities and boy scout troops are continued on this page. The canteen is still missing some coke bottles. There's also a notice that a 66-year-old resident died of a cerebral hemorrhage.

Page 4: Softball results. The Win, Place and Show editorials section. There will be a community sing. Another engagement has been announced. Men who failed to sign up for the selective service are asked to turn their names in to administration officials.



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