In the spring of 1942, persons of Japanese descent living on the West Coast were forcibly removed by the US Army into temporary "assembly centers" while permanent incarceration camps were built. The Puyallup Assembly Center, euphemistically namled “Camp Harmony," was hastily constructed at the Washington State fairgrounds, and temporarily housed over 7,000 residents of Seattle, Tacoma, and Alaska.

During their confinement, the incarcerees attempted to keep spirits up with books and games. In this photo, a group of children play Monopoly. When they arrived at the permanent camps, many took up gardening or other hobbies. Baseball was also very popular, with teams organized in all the major camps.

Handwritten on sleeve: PUYALLUP, Wash., Japanese colony, Camp Harmony.
Date photograph was filed at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (date of photograph and file date may differ by a month or more): June 12, 1942.