Wyoming is a state known for its wide-open ranges, stunning geology, incredible mountain ranges, geysers, and so much more. The state is also, however, the site of some dark chapters of American history, and this particular super-spooky place was named one of the most haunted places Wyoming has to offer.
Starting with an old building originally used for an irrigation project prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor in December of 1941, the Heart Mountain Relocation center began construction on barracks and facilities to "relocate" American families of Japanese descent in June 1942.
Construction finished in August, and soon after, the barracks began filling with Japanese-Americans unfairly taken from their homes against their will by the US government as a result of an executive order signed by President Roosevelt. People were shipped in by train from all over the American West to this particular camp in Park County, Wyoming.
Over the next three years, the camp would house 13,997 people.
At one point, there were enough people living at Heart Mountain that it could have been considered the third-largest "city" in Wyoming. At that time, the population within the camp walls was 10,767.
It quickly became the fourth-largest internment camp in the United States. The property spanned 46,000 acres of flat land and grass. 740 of those acres were used for housing (barracks), and the remainder was mostly used for farming.
During its time of operation in the US, Heart Mountain was well-known for having young men fighting the draft. More than 80 Nisei men adamantly refused to go fight in World War II for the US government until their civil liberties were restored.
The camp closed on November 10th, 1945, and at that time, highly discriminatory legislation prevented many Japanese-Americans from returning to their original homes- and they were also not welcome to stay in Wyoming, either, causing a tremendous deal of displaced people in need of new homes and lives.
It's no surprise, then, why this place would have landed on a list of the Top 5 Most Haunted Places in Wyoming, tied for second place with Warren Air Force Base. Despite the fact that so many families tried to maintain a sense of normalcy during their time in these internment camps, there was still more than enough sorrow and heaviness to linger for decades after.
Today, the camp has been re-invented to be an informational interpretive center, educating Americans about this dark time of our past.
It is not, however, without its ghosts.
Employees current and past have reported many bizarre and frightening experiences. They've heard coughing and voices whispering when nobody else is around.
Nobody that they can see, anyway; visitors have reported very similar experiences. There are numerous tales of people feeling watched, hearing phantom music playing from empty barracks, and even a friendly "host" that leads guests around on "tours" only to disappear shortly after the "tour" begins.
Other reports claim that there are shadow people in the halls and barracks when the sun goes down. People see something move out of the corner of their eye, but when they look, there's nothing there.
The camp was designated a National Historic Landmark in early 2007; to this day, visitors can still take tours- though we can’t exactly promise that your tour guide will be living!
More more interesting history, photos, and visitor information, please take a look at their website here. We strongly feel that dark parts of our own nation’s history must be remembered and understood, lest they ever happen again. We owe it to ourselves, and possibly to the restless spirits of folks who never quite left the center.
Have you ever visited one of the several internment camps still standing in the United States? Tell us about your experiences in the comments.