The Topaz (Central Utah) concentration camp opened on Sept. 11, 1942 and closed on Oct. 31, 1945. A total of 11,212 were processed into the camp, and its peak population was between 8,100 and 8,300, according to the Topaz Museum. Most of its residents came from the San Francisco Bay Area. The Topaz Museum, 16 miles from the original concentration camp site, opened in 2017 with its interpretive exhibits. Thousands of visitors have come to the Topaz Museum to understand this dark chapter in American history.
