The Rest of the Story on San Luis Obispo

As I began last week to tell the story of post-war resettlement in San Luis Obispo, here is the rest of the story. A longer version will be available as a supplement to copies of Vanished sold at the SLO Obon Festival.

When Eric Thomsen’s War Relocation Authority office for the California Central Coast closed in February 1946, resettlement numbers indicated that resistance had been more successful than not.

On January 31 Thomsen wrote, “Individuals and families constantly encourage other families to come West but not with much success up in San Luis Obispo County, where it is manifestly almost impossible for them to earn a living.”

Before the war one-quarter of the Tri-Counties’ Nikkei population resided in San Luis Obispo County, 925 out of 3700. But after the war, specifically by January 19, 1946, sixty days after closure of all but one of the WRA’s camps, Thomsen’s SLO statistics counted only 149 Nikkei who had returned.

In his entire three-county district, Thomsen had placed 1400 returnees, assisted hugely by the city of Santa Barbara which took in far more than its share. But the district total represented only 38% of the 3700 Nikkei sent away in 1942. San Luis Obispo County’s 149, reduced from 925, was even less, representing a return rate of only 16%.