Hermit Crab

Linda Lowen

unfairbnb

Solitude, isolation & sweeping mountain views at 'Apple Orchard'

⭑ 5.0 · Superhost · Manzanar, California, United States

heck availabity

Family-style camp hosted by the Owens Valley Reception Center

10,000 guests · Shared studios · Shared beds · Shared bath

CHECK IN: CHECK OUT:

March 21, 1942 November 21, 1945

Wake up to mountain landscapes and desert beauty in our vast 5,500 acre retreat center which takes its name from the Spanish word for 'apple orchard.'

The space

Enjoy family-style living in our 500-acre housing section offering ample accommodations across 504 barracks. No worries about getting lost: the residential area is conveniently organized into 36 blocks of 14 barracks. Each tarpaper structure is thoughtfully divided into four rooms measuring 20x25. Rather than solid walls, cloth partitions between rooms add to the spacious feeling, with each room designed in an open-concept style.

The all-inclusive meal plan adds to your carefree stay: breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served in the mess hall exclusive to your block. Accommodations for special diets such as paleo, keto, vegan, gluten-free include Vienna sausages, canned string beans, hot dogs, and apple sauce.

Guest access

Everything you need is on-site: laundry rooms, ironing rooms, recreation centers, churches, a reservoir, sewage treatment plant, cemetery, post office, garage, camp hospital, and agricultural fields. In addition, long-term residents of the 'Apple Orchard' have opened up a general store, beauty parlor, barbershop, shoe repair, library and bank for guests.

Safety and security

Rest easy in a secure fenced/gated community under the watchful eye of eight guard towers equipped with searchlights, surrounded by five-strand barbed wire, and patrolled 24/7 by military police.

Other things to note

This is a legally-permitted relocation center established by Executive Order 9066, signed on February 19, 1942, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, authorizing the Secretary of War to designate military commanders to prescribe military areas and to exclude "any or all persons" from such areas and force the relocation of said excluded persons.

All guests/residents must strictly observe the Camp Rules. Those who do not and/or those who attempt to depart early may be subject to tear gas and shootings by military police, and beatings by unidentified third parties.

Sleeping arrangements

Common spaces

up to 8 single cots

Amenities

Basic

Essentials

Blankets, eco-friendly mattresses filled with straw

Lighting

Single hanging overhead bulb

Heating

Oil stove heating in each room

Washer

Shared laundry room, ironing room in the barracks block, free or for a fee

Family features

Single-room living

Facilities

No parking on premises

Dining

Meal plan included

No cooking facilities in room

Mess hall dining: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Guest access

Host welcome upon arrival

No early checkout, exit or re-entry

Logistics

Long term stays enforced

Minimum required stay of 3 years, 6 months through September 2, 1945

Bed and bath

Shared

Spacious communal latrines free of partitions

Open showers without the claustrophobia of stalls

Outdoor

Hard-packed dirt

Location

Situated in California's historic Owens Valley between the Sierra Nevada to the west and the Inyo mountains to the east, the 'Apple Orchard' is an ideal place to get away from it all on short notice.

Hosted by the Owens Valley Reception Center

Joined February 19, 1942

2223 Reviews Identity-verified Superhost

The Owens Valley Reception Center started with a simple goal: identify and evacuate every Japanese American living in and around the Los Angeles area, Stockton, California, and Bainbridge Island, Washington. We've professionalized the relocation of persons of Japanese ancestry following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, turning each internment into an inescapable and incomparable experience. From California's Tule Lake and Wyoming's Heart Mountain to Arizona's Gila River, each Reception Center is unique with its own story -- but at Owens Valley we set the standard. Have a perfect stay!

Owens Valley Relocation Center is a Superhost.

Superhosts are experienced, highly regarded hosts who are committed to providing secure stays for guests.

Languages: English only

Response rate: 100%

Response time: within an hour

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