About the Project

From the era of Spanish ranchos and the early Palos Verdes housing developments, Japanese farmers on the Palos Verdes Peninsula played a significant role in cultivating vegetables for California dinner tables in the early 1900's.

On November 24, 1923 approximately 40 first generation families celebrated the opening of a local hall to hold meetings, sports and classes much as we meet today in our community centers. That event was captured in a three-foot long photograph with little explanation which puzzled local history room visitors.

Mission:

Preserve the soon-to-be forgotten history of the Peninsula's Japanese American settlement to educate future generations.

Goals:

1. Identify all the individuals in the 1923 photograph.

2. Profile their daily lives and experiences through oral histories.

3. Pinpoint the location of the original ranch locations on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

4. Create a special Japanese American Collection to be housed in the Peninsula Center Local History Room.