03.19.07

Cantwell Works to Honor Bainbridge Island Internees

Legislation would preserve Eagledale ferry dock site as part of National Parks system; measure has already passed House

WASHINGTON, DC - Monday, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) introduced legislation in the Senate to incorporate the Eagledale ferry dock site on Bainbridge Island into the National Parks system. Cantwell's legislation is part of a larger internment memorial bill introduced by Senator Larry Craig (R-ID). As the lead Senate Democrat sponsor of the bill, Cantwell has worked with local leaders and surviving internees to preserve the Eagledale site, which served as the point of departure for members of the local Japanese American community forced into internment camps during World War II.

"We must never forget this terrible chapter in our country's past," said Cantwell. "I hope this powerful landmark can be a reminder of the strength of our Japanese American community. By preserving the Eagledale ferry dock site on Bainbridge Island and making it part of our National Parks system, we can make sure an important piece of our history is never lost."

Both Cantwell and Craig are members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, where the bill will be considered next. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) are cosponsors of the legislation. A similar bill has already passed the House.

In May 2006, the Interior Department finalized its report recommending the Eagledale Ferry Dock site's inclusion in the Minidoka Internment National Monument as a satellite site. The satellite site would be called the Nidoto Nai Yoni National Memorial. President Clinton established the Minidoka Internment National Monument in January 2001. The Minidoka site in Jerome County, Idaho marks the place where many of those forcibly removed from Bainbridge Island were eventually sent. The Eagledale dock site marks the place where the first 227 Japanese Americans interned during World War II were forcibly removed from their homes and communities.

The three-year Interior Department study was authorized and funded by legislation championed by Cantwell, Murray, and Congressman Jay Inslee (D-WA). Construction of the memorial began last year with the help of funding from private donors and the State of Washington. Cantwell introduced similar legislation last year, but Congress adjourned before approving the measure.

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