Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Colorado Denver Ralph Carr Memorial, Sakura Square

Ralph Carr Memorial, Sakura Square

In a small Japanese garden off a busy Denver street, a memorial to a brave, principled politician.

Denver, Colorado

Added By
Stuart Black
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
  cyccommute / Atlas Obscura User
  IgFan / Atlas Obscura User
Inscription on Carr memorial   cyccommute / Atlas Obscura User
Japanese inscription   cyccommute / Atlas Obscura User
Sakura Square.   Jeffrey Beall /
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

On February 19, 1942, Franklin Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 that ultimately resulted in the imprisonment in concentration camps of people of Japanese ancestry. Most governors of the western United States embraced the relocation and assisted with the removal of Japanese Americans, though many objected to having the camps placed in their states.

The sole objection to the program as a whole came from Governor Ralph L. Carr of Colorado. He objected to denying the rights of American citizens based only on ancestry, but unlike other governors, he accepted the establishment of a concentration camp in Colorado (Granada Relocation Center) to assure that they would be treated with respect. He said: 

“They are as loyal to American institutions as you and I. Many of them have been born here–are American citizens, with no connection or feeling of loyalty toward the customs and philosophies of Italy, Germany and Japan. ... I am not talking on behalf of Japanese, of Italians, or of Germans as such when I say this. I am talking to ... all American people whether their status be white, brown or black and regardless of the birthplaces of their grandfathers when I say that if a majority may deprive a minority of its freedom, contrary to the terms of the Constitution today, then you as a minority may be subjected to the same ill-will of the majority tomorrow.”

His principled stance cost him his career in government.  In 1942, he lost his seat to Edwin Johnson, who advocated using the Colorado Nation Guard to prevent detainees from entering Colorado. He claimed that Carr was more interested in exploiting the labor of the detainees than in protecting their rights. Carr died in 1950. 

In 1976, a statue was dedicated to him in Sakura Square. Part of the inscription reads, “Those who benefited from Governor Carr's humanity have built this monument in grateful memory of his unflinching Americanism, and as a lasting reminder that the precious democratic ideals he espoused must forever be defended against prejudice and neglect.” His name graces a street that runs through the Denver suburbs. A section of U.S. Highway 285 between C470 and Kenosha Pass was named the Ralph Carr Highway. Another monument to him was erected on the top of Kenosha Pass. In 2008, a new Colorado judicial complex at Broadway and 14th Street was named in his honor as well. 

The Denver Post named him its “Person of the Century” in 1999. 

Sakura Square, a small plaza in downtown Denver also contains memorials to prominent Japanese Americans, as well as a small Japanese garden. 

Related Tags

Memorials World War Ii Statues Japanese Gardens Military

Know Before You Go

The memorial is easy to find, on the corner of 19th Street and Larimer. 

Community Contributors

Added By

cyccommute

Edited By

Blue Jay Away, Samir S Patel, IgFan

  • Blue Jay Away
  • Samir S Patel
  • IgFan

Published

July 21, 2020

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Ralph Carr Memorial, Sakura Square
1255 19th St
Denver, Colorado, 80202
United States
39.751829, -104.993146
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Hop Alley

Denver, Colorado

miles away

Daniels and Fisher Tower

Denver, Colorado

miles away

The Cruise Room Bar

Denver, Colorado

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Denver

Denver

Colorado

Places 42
Stories 12

Nearby Places

Hop Alley

Denver, Colorado

miles away

Daniels and Fisher Tower

Denver, Colorado

miles away

The Cruise Room Bar

Denver, Colorado

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Denver

Denver

Colorado

Places 42
Stories 12

Related Places

  • Mound, crypt and statue

    Berlin, Germany

    Soviet Memorial (Sowjetisches Ehrenmal)

    For patriotic Russians, this memorial honoring the Soviet soldiers who died liberating Berlin in 1945 is the most sacred location outside of Russia.

  • Grahovo Memorial Park.

    Grahovo, Montenegro

    Grahovo Memorial Park

    This memorial to local World War II heroes is slowly being reclaimed by nature.

  • Washington, D.C.’s “Spirit of American Youth.”

    Washington, D.C.

    'Spirit of American Youth' Statue

    A replica of the famous memorial statue at the Normandy American Cemetery hides in an office building in downtown D.C.

  • Mauthausen Memorial.

    Marbach, Austria

    Mauthausen Memorial

    The site of Austria's biggest concentration camp now honors its victims.

  • Mitrovica Miners Monument

    Mitrovica, Kosovo

    Mitrovica Miners Monument

    Two distorted Romanesque columns hold aloft a mine cart in honor of laborers who died during WWII.

  • The Rakovac memorial from the knees up

    Poreč, Croatia

    Joakim Rakovac Memorial

    A monument to one of Croatia's famous freedom fighters.

  • Pierre Bayle Statue & History

    Tourreilles, France

    Le Petit Tambour

    A modest statue dedicated to Pierre Bayle, a young military drummer who willingly fought and died for his beloved France.

  • ‘Arbeit Macht Frei’ - the entrance to camp in the Terezin fortress

    Terezín, Czechia

    Theresienstadt (Terezín Concentration Camp)

    Created as a "model concentration camp" to hide Nazi atrocities from the international community, this former camp-ghetto now holds a museum and memorial honoring the lives lost within.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.