mixing history and place

On my way to do research at the SF regional branch of the National Archives, I realized the odd historical juxtaposition of its immediate geography. To get to the archives – to do research on Asian American history – I’ve been walking through a mall that is built on the site of the former Tanforan racetrack, which was both an assembly center during the Japanese American internment and the home of Seabiscuit, the racehorse.

Here are the plaques commemorating the two (and sideways perspective of the JA plaque showing it in its commercial context):