The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has a significant role in the history of Manzanar, the whole Owen's Valley, and the relocation center as well. The Department of Water and Power owned the land on which the relocation center was built and leased it to the US government during WWII. One of the reasons that there are few buildings on the land is that the lease required that the land be returned to its cleared state. The Department of Water and Power also, apparently, was against the formation of the National Monument and needed convincing to cede the land to the National Government for the establishment of the Historical Site. They provided the truck that was used as the stage for the program.
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