During World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order #9066, which authorized the U.S. military to forcibly remove all citizens of Japanese descent and place them in internment centers. Amache, located in southeastern Colorado, was one of ten internment locations that held Japanese Americans during the war. Due to its proximity to the small town of Granada, the incarcerated individuals at Amache frequently interacted with local townspeople. A key location for this interaction was the Newman Block, which housed the Granada Fish Market and Newman’s Drug Store.
Newman’s Drug Store, the larger of the two buildings, was originally constructed before 1914. In 1942, pharmacist Ed Newman recognized the need for a larger business in town and purchased the building. He moved his pharmacy into the space, dug a well, added a soda fountain, and opened a newsstand. As Japanese Americans at Amache sought work outside the camp, Newman employed many at his store. He also sponsored sports teams inside Amache, providing uniforms and trophies.
Next door to Newman’s Drug Store is a smaller blue building that housed the Granada Fish Market. Frank Masa Tsuchiya, who had been incarcerated at Amache, previously owned a wholesale fish market in Los Angeles before being sent to the camp. After his release on May 11, 1943, Tsuchiya moved just over a mile to Granada, where he quickly opened the Granada Fish Market. He worked alongside Frank Torizawa, who had also worked in a fish market before the war. Together, they delivered fish, poultry, and ice to those still incarcerated at Amache.
Beyond providing goods, the Granada Fish Market also donated various items to improve the lives of those behind barbed wire. The Granada Pioneer newspaper published short articles thanking Tsuchiya for his generous contributions, such as Christmas trees and poultry.
Today, the Newman Building is used as a rental event space and retains much of its exterior historic integrity. The Fish Market is currently vacant. Attention was drawn to the structures when one of the four buildings that share walls collapsed. CPI is excited to collaborate with the private owners, the Amache Alliance, the Amache Preservation Society, and the National Park Service to explore future uses for these buildings and highlighting the local underrepresented history, all while supporting the small local economy of Granada.