More than 14,000 Japanese Americans were unjustly held prisoner at the Heart Mountain facility near Cody, Wyoming, during World War II. Today, the site has become a museum, National Historic Landmark and interpretive center dedicated to making sure its story isn’t lost for future generations.
Now the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation will have some more muscle behind those efforts with the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center being named the state’s second Smithsonian Affiliate.
Smithsonian Affiliations is a division of the Smithsonian Institution, the national museum complex in Washington, D.C. Through the division, the Smithsonian establishes long-term partnerships with museums and educational and cultural organizations to share artifacts, exhibits, programs and research.
The foundation manages the museum and interpretive center built on the site of the Japanese American internment camp established during World War II. The site is now the second Smithsonian Affiliate in Wyoming and part of a nationwide network with more than 200 institutions.
“Our world-class museum has attracted interest, both nationally and internationally, signifying the impact of the power of place,” said Shirley Ann Higuchi, chair of the Heart Mountain board. “With our new Mineta-Simpson Institute opening this summer, we will enhance our ability to educate the public and continue to tell our incarceration story. We hope that our museum and campus will inspire this country to learn more about what happened at this site in 1942.”
The Right Stuff
Ray Locker, the director of communications and strategy for the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation, said the foundation has been interested in becoming a Smithsonian Affiliate for several years. Serious inquiries began last year.
“You have to go through a pretty lengthy application process that happens about once every 18 months,” he said. “You need to demonstrate that you've collaborated with other institutions, preferably other Smithsonian Affiliates. They want to know if the Smithsonian sends stuff out to your institution, you can take care of it and display it.”
When the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation applied, they had the full support of Wyoming’s congressional delegation, the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, California, and the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, the first Smithsonian Affiliate in Wyoming.
That support, plus the quality of the existing interpretive center and the efforts of the foundation’s dedicated staff and board members, secured the affiliation.
“The Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation is dedicated to telling an important part of our nation’s history,” said Myriam Springuel with the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and te director of Smithsonian Affiliations. “With a mission that so thoroughly matches the work of the Smithsonian, we are honored to welcome the Foundation into the Smithsonian Affiliate family and look forward to working together to share these important stories with audiences around the world.”
A guard tower at the Heart Mountain Relocation Center near Cody, Wyoming. (Photo by Pete via adobestock.com) 
The Heart Mountain Relocation Center near Cody, Wyoming. (Photo by Pete via adobestock.com) 
One of the buildings and a large chimney at the Heart Mountain Relocation Center. (Photo by Pete via adobestock.com) 
On of nine guard towers at the Heart Mountain Relocation Center. (Buffalo Bill Center of the West) 
The Yamaro family, with their son home from the U.S. Army on leave, in front of their barracks in 1942. (Buffalo Bill Center of the West) 
Japanese-American internees arrive by train at the Heart Mountain Relocation Center. (Buffalo Bill Center of the West)
Center Of It All
Locker said one key aspect that secured the affiliation is the Mineta-Simpson Institute, a permanent exhibit dedicated to celebrating the careers of Secretary Norman Mineta and former Wyoming U.S. Sen. Alan Simpson.
“The opening of the Mineta Simpson Institute is definitely a big deal for us,” Locker said. “And I think it appealed to the Smithsonian, which I think made us a better candidate.”
The institute, scheduled to open in July, is a 7,341-square-foot addition to Heart Mountain Interpretive Center. When complete, it will host educational programs and conferences for up to 200 people to promote bipartisan cooperation and problem-solving.
“While anchored in a dark history, our new Mineta-Simpson Institute at Heart Mountain is an animated and invigorating space,” said Executive Director Aura Sunada Newlin. “Our emphasis on civic discourse around core democratic values offers a fresh contribution to the Smithsonian's aims of awaking curiosity and spurring public engagement.”
Status Symbols
There are already signs that being a Smithsonian Affiliate will bring immense benefits to the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center. Anthea M. Hartig, director of the National Museum of American History, will attend the grand opening of the Mineta-Simpson Institute during the foundation's annual Heart Mountain Pilgrimage on July 25-27.
“We're talking to the National Museum of American History about them bringing an artifact from Washington to our annual pilgrimage,” Locker said. “Members of our team are already doing stuff with them.”
But beyond artifacts and important visits, Locker said one of the most significant benefits of being a Smithsonian Affiliate is its vast network of historians, researchers, and museum professionals.
“It's a great club to be in,” he said. “Everybody knows what the Smithsonian is, and to be affiliated with such a great assortment of museums around the country is just an awesome opportunity for us. It allows the people who worked for us to play on a bigger playing field and helps us be a better museum and organization.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
