Landscape Information
Located on an eight-acre parcel at the western edge of Pritchard Park overlooking Eagle Harbor, this processional memorial recognizes and honors people of Japanese descent forcibly relocated during World War II under the authority of Executive Order 9066. Guided by the maxim, “Nidoto Nai Yoni” (Let It Not Happen Again) the memorial marks the site of the former Eagledale Ferry Dock, where, on March 30, 1942, 227 people of Japanese descent were sent to the Manzanar War Relocation Center in Independence, California.
Running south to north and terminating at the ferry dock, a curvilinear commemorative wall, designed in 2011 by architect Johnpaul Jones of Jones & Jones Architects and Landscape Architects, marks the memorial’s western edge. Built of old-growth red cedar, granite, and basalt, and decorated with terracotta displays by Seattle-area artist Steve Gardner, the wall reclaims a portion of Taylor Avenue, and is edged with a generous, crushed stone path, enabling visitors to retrace the historic route of those exiled.
Inscribed with the names of the 276 Nikkei (Japanese immigrants and their descendants) who resided on the island at the war’s onset, this 276-foot-long wall includes metal hooks from which visitors hang origami cranes, which symbolize peace and healing. Low boulders, at seat height, are strategically grouped along the path, affording opportunities for rest and reflection. To the east is a naturalistic allée of coniferous trees planted atop a modest rise that screens the memorial from a parking area and Japanese style pavilion (2006).
Upon arrival at the harbor visitors encounter Departure Gate (2022), a site-specific installation by Anna Brones and Luc Revel inspired by photographs taken on the historic day of forced removal. The former ferry dock is flanked by a cedar tree that witnessed the event. A secondary curvilinear path that leads through a grove of coniferous trees offers an alternative route back to visitor parking.
