This is a very unique opportunity for folks to learn from and be able to talk to some of the great supporters of Manzanar's preservation throughout the years (who stood with the JA community despite local resistance). This great occasion of bringing these special folks together is in celebration of Ranger Jane Wehrey's collection of insightful oral histories: "Voices of This Long, Brown Land." Songbird of Manzanar Mary Nomura is in the book and will be present at the program. The coordinators encourage folks to bring family/friends who were at camp, too, to share their experiences as part of the program.

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Post Office Box 149 • Independence, CA • 93526

For Immediate Release: September 7, 2006
Contact: Mary Daniel
Phone: 760-878-2411

Manzanar History Association News Release

Step into the past with authors, historians and special guests as they engage you in lively discussions about Owens Valley history

Personal stories of the Eastern Sierra’s colorful past will be on the program Saturday September 30 at 7 pm at Manzanar National Historic Site, when the Manzanar History Association hosts “Remembering This Long Brown Land: Conversations on Life and History in the Owens Valley and at Manzanar.” Local residents as well as visitors are invited to bring to this informal evening their own recollections of growing up, living, or vacationing amid the region’s stunning beauty and often tumultuous history.

Sharing their memories and reflections will be former Inyo County Supervisor Keith Bright, former Manzanar internee Mary Kageyama Nomura, long-time Independence resident and civic volunteer Elsie Ivey, and other present and former Owens Valley residents. Also on hand to lend knowledge and insights will be Lone Pine film historian Chris Langley, local author and historian Jane Wehrey, and former Eastern California Museum Director William H. Michael. Dr. Arthur Hansen, professor of history emeritus at California State University, Fullerton, will moderate the discussion.

This will be a unique opportunity for residents and visitors to gather and learn more about the history of the valley as told by those who have been part of it. Each of these participants brings to the program his or her own unique perspective on the Owens Valley past, explains program coordinator Jane Wehrey, and it is through these personal perspectives that history takes on color and meaning. Though we often like to separate the events of history into neat categories of topic, time, and meaning, in reality, the past of any is far more interwoven and complex, and therefore, more intriguing.

A short slide presentation will focus on the Owens Valley, its landscape, history, and people, and there will be a refreshment time for continued story-telling. Author Jane Wehrey will be available to sign copies of her 2006 book, Voices From This Long Brown Land: Oral Recollections of Owens Valley Lives and Manzanar Pasts.

“Remembering This Long Brown Land: Conversations on Life and History in the Owens Valley and at Manzanar” is on Saturday, September 30 at 7 pm, Manzanar National Historic Site Interpretive Center; doors open at 6:30. Admission is free and donations will be accepted. Manzanar is located at 5001 Highway 395, between Lone Pine and Independence, CA. For more information call 760-878-2727 or 877-878-2727.

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