Amache, near Granada, is a place to visit with care

Near the town of Granada, in Prowers County, is a quiet stretch of plains that carries a heavy history. During World War II, the United States forced more than seven thousand people of Japanese ancestry — most of them American citizens — to live behind barbed wire here. The place is known as Amache, and also as the Granada War Relocation Center.

The name itself ties into the county’s story. Amache Ochinee was a Cheyenne woman married to rancher John Prowers, whom the county is named for. The camp took her name.

After the war, the camp closed and most of its buildings were sold off and removed. For decades, former incarcerees, families, students, and volunteers worked to protect and tell its story. Today Amache is part of the National Park System, preserved as a place of remembrance.

If you visit, it helps to go in knowing what it is. This is not a scenic stop or a novelty. It is a site of real harm and real resilience, and people connected to it still return. Reading the National Park Service and History Colorado materials first, and following posted guidance on the ground, is the respectful way to experience it.

To learn the history and plan a respectful visit, use the National Park Service and History Colorado.