The Owens Valley, some 250 miles away, may be steeped in controversial Los Angeles history because of our water aqueduct, but it is a little less known for its role during World War II. The small town of Manzanar became one of the ten detainee military-style camps where Japanese American citizens and resident Japanese aliens were sent. Another one was in Newell, California with the rest in other states. Locally, Santa Anita was an assembly site "where Japanese Americans were sent in preparation for eventual removal from the Pacific Coast," says the Japanese American National Museum. more ›

Now with President Barack Obama talking about reinvigorating the econony and the job market, there's been a resurgance of an idea of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's: bringing back the Civilian Conservation Corps, the first "emergency agency" that he established. Now there's talk in Congress of bringing it back as part of Obama's economic stimulus plan, according to the LA Times. more ›