Specialty Crop

The Heart Mountain root cellar is the only surviving structure built entirely by Japanese Americans incarcerated at Heart Mountain, a World War II confinement camp between Cody and Powell. Nearly 50 different crops, ranging from greens to Carter peanuts, were grown on the camp’s farms. To store the produce, incarcerated laborers in summer 1943 constructed two root cellars, each one 300 feet long and 35 feet wide. One of the cellars has since completely collapsed. The Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation (HMWF) has launched a project to stabilize and restore the surviving cellar. Once restoration is complete, the cellar will feature an exhibit about the farming program at the Heart Mountain camp.

HMWF has been actively fundraising for the restoration and exhibit. In 2024, the National Park Service awarded an $851,826 grant to the HMWF to continue restoring the cellar, according to a story in the Powell Tribune. This incredible structure tells the story of a Japanese American community that refused to be broken, and overcame incredible odds to feed and care for its people. We look forward to the day when we will be able to safely open the cellar for public tours. To learn more about this project and the Heart Mountain camp, including the farming program, you can visit the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center between Powell and Cody.

Learn more on YouTube:
youtube.com/watch?v=bMgqMy6KAMg/
youtube.com/watch?v=Q1k7q_imTyw/
youtube.com/watch?v=vaBBP_ttF_A/

View our websites:
https://www.heartmountain.org/ (main webpage);
https://www.heartmountain.org/donate-to-the-root-cellar-fund/ (Root Cellar webpage)