The memorial is built on the actual site of Eagledale Ferry Landing, the departure point for the first Japanese Americans forcibly removed from the West Coast.
Bainbridge Island was chosen as the first site for exclusion because of its proximity to the Puget Sound Navy Yard at Bremerton.
The memorial wall is constructed from 276 linear feet of old-growth cedar, symbolic of the island's timber industry.
Artist Johnpaul Jones designed the site, using a 'path of memory' that leads visitors toward the water.
The community of Bainbridge Island, including the local newspaper editor Walt Woodward, was one of the few to publicly protest the internment at the time.
Many Japanese American families on the island were strawberry farmers, and their businesses were largely lost during the years of incarceration.
The memorial includes a 'story wall' featuring stone carvings that depict the timeline from life before the war to the return of survivors.
It is officially recognized as a unit of the Minidoka National Historic Site, managed in partnership with the National Park Service.
Local residents maintained close contact with the internees, sending letters and supplies to the camps during the war years.
The memorial site was dedicated in phases, with the final phase completed to connect it directly to the historic ferry departure location.
The Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial marks the site where 227 Japanese Americans were forced to board the ferry Kehloken on March 30, 1942, becoming the first group of citizens and residents expelled from their homes under Executive Order 9066. The memorial is part of the Minidoka National Historic Site, reflecting the broader history of WWII internment. It occupies a 2.8-acre site along the waterfront of Eagledale. The structure features a large cedar wall that chronicles the names of those displaced, emphasizing the local impact of the exclusion policy. Visitors follow a wooded path through the forest to the shoreline where the evacuation took place. The memorial design incorporates local materials and landscaping to honor the island's historical agricultural and fishing community. The site provides a space for reflection on the impact of mass incarceration on a small, tightly-knit population.
The view from the shoreline path looking back at the cedar memorial wall and the water.
Walk the entire length of the cedar wall to read the names of the individuals and families who were displaced.
Walk down to the shoreline path to see the site from the perspective of those who boarded the ferry in 1942.
Bring an umbrella or raincoat, as the path is outdoors and the Pacific Northwest climate is frequently damp.
Avoid walking on sensitive restored vegetation along the trail; stick to the defined path.
Maintain a quiet and respectful demeanor throughout the memorial, as it is a site of solemn historical significance.
