Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation

Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation
Name	Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation
Formation	1999
Type	Nonprofit organization
Headquarters	Cody, Wyoming
Region served	Park County, Wyoming
Leader title	Executive Director

Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation is a nonprofit cultural heritage organization dedicated to preserving, interpreting, and educating about the World War II-era Heart Mountain Relocation Center site, Japanese American incarceration, and local history in Park County, Wyoming, near Cody, Wyoming and the Bighorn Basin. The foundation operates a museum, curates archival collections, supports archaeological research, and collaborates with museums, universities, and veterans' groups to commemorate incarceration, civil liberties, and reconciliation. It engages federal, state, and local stakeholders including the National Park Service, the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office, and tribal nations.

History

The organization was formed in 1999 by local citizens, former incarcerees, and preservationists responding to the deteriorating condition of the Heart Mountain Relocation Center site and the removal of physical structures following World War II. Founders drew inspiration from preservation efforts at sites such as Manzanar National Historic Site, Minidoka National Historic Site, Topaz Museum, and the Japanese American National Museum. Early partnerships included the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the American Association for State and Local History, and academic programs at University of Wyoming and California State University, Fresno. The foundation coordinated with descendants and organizations like the Japanese American Citizens League and the National Japanese American Historical Society to craft a stewardship plan aligned with the National Historic Preservation Act and state preservation statutes.

Heart Mountain Relocation Center

The foundation interprets the history of the WWII relocation center established following Executive Order 9066 and influenced by wartime politics involving figures such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, military commands like Western Defense Command, and legal rulings including Korematsu v. United States. The site housed approximately 14,000 Japanese Americans from the West Coast of the United States and was one of multiple War Relocation Authority facilities alongside Manzanar War Relocation Center, Gila River War Relocation Center, and Tule Lake Segregation Center. Interpretive efforts address resistance and civil liberties stories connected to incidents such as the Heart Mountain Fair Play Committee, disputes over the draft resisters, and legal cases impacting American civil rights. The foundation also documents local interactions with nearby communities including Cody, Wyoming, Powell, Wyoming, and the Crow Nation region.

Preservation and Museum

The foundation led efforts to stabilize remnants of the relocation center, working with preservation architects and conservationists experienced with projects at Alcatraz Island, Ellis Island, and Fort Snelling. Museum staff developed a climate-controlled facility to house artifacts and archival materials, modeled on standards from the Smithsonian Institution, National Archives and Records Administration, and the American Alliance of Museums. Preservation projects have included archaeological surveys with researchers from Montana State University, structural assessments with the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office, and oral history digitization in partnership with the Densho Digital Repository and the Library of Congress Veterans History Project.

Educational Programs and Research

Educational initiatives include K–12 curricula aligned with Wyoming state standards and university-level collaborations with University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, University of Utah, and Harvard University scholars studying internment, constitutional law, and memory studies. The foundation hosts teacher workshops with organizations like the National Endowment for the Humanities and develops programming with civic groups such as the League of Women Voters and the American Civil Liberties Union. Research grants have supported projects on incarceration archaeology, oral histories with former incarcerees, and exhibitions co-curated with the Japanese American National Museum and the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center.

Collections and Exhibitions

Collections comprise photographs, personal letters, student artwork, building plans, and artifacts donated by families of former residents and local collectors. The museum has mounted exhibitions on daily life, resistance, and postwar resettlement, collaborating with curators from the National Japanese American Historical Society, University of Washington Libraries', and the Japanese American Museum of San Francisco. Traveling exhibitions have circulated to venues including the Idaho State Historical Society, Montana Historical Society, and the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. Digital exhibits and oral history portals draw on partnerships with Densho, the Columbia University Oral History Archive, and regional heritage networks.

Governance and Funding

A volunteer board of directors composed of community leaders, scholars, and former incarcerees guides the organization, following governance models used by institutions like the National Trust for Historic Preservation and local nonprofit boards across Wyoming. Funding sources include private donations, grants from foundations such as the Ford Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, project support from the Wyoming Humanities Council, and competitive awards administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The foundation also partners with municipal entities in Park County, Wyoming and fundraising campaigns coordinated with the Japanese American Diaspora community.

Community Impact and Commemoration

The foundation facilitates commemorative events including memorial dedications, annual remembrance programs, and symposia that engage descendants, veterans, scholars, and local residents. It partners with organizations like the Japanese American Veterans Association, Friends of Heart Mountain, the Cody Rotary Club, and educational institutions to promote civic dialogue about civil liberties, reconciliation, and historical memory. Commemorative collaborations have involved legislative recognition by the Wyoming State Legislature and educational outreach to tribal nations including the Crow Nation and Northern Arapaho Tribe, fostering regional understanding of the site's legacy.

Category:Historic preservation organizations Category:Museums in Wyoming Category:Japanese American history