BECAUSE YOU ASKED
Q: I heard that the Amache Internment Camp was going to be dedicated as a National Historic Landmark. Is this so, and when is the dedication?
A: It was announced Friday that the World War II internment camp, the Granada Relocation Center, or Camp Amache, near the town of Granada in southeastern Colorado, has been designated a National Historic Landmark.
The camp, which closed in January 1946, housed Japanese-Americans forced from the West Coast in the 1940s by the War Relocation Authority. It currently includes historic roadways and barracks foundations, as well as a cemetery.
Dedication of the center as a landmark will be May 20 in Granada. Attendees will include representatives from the Colorado congressional delegation and Park Service and state officials.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior; Denver Post archives
Q: How did the small town of Model in Las Animas County get its name?
A: The unincorporated town on U.S. 350 was first called Poso and then later Roby. The name was changed around 1920 to Model when plans were made to develop it into a model town with its own irrigation district.
Now, around 15 people live there. The gas station and general store closed a few years ago.
Source: Las Animas County Department of Planning; “Colorado Place Names” by William Bright
– Compiled by Bonnie Gilbert
Have you ever wondered how to register your child for school? What a political caucus is and how to get information about one? How many “fourteeners” Colorado has? If you’d like information about something in the state outside Denver, send questions to because- youasked@denverpost.com or mail to: Because You Asked, Denver Post, 1560 Broadway, Denver, CO 80202. Include your name, city of residence and phone number.
