Jane Beckwith was born in Delta, Utah and heard references to Topaz while she was growing up. It wasn’t until she was teaching English at Delta High School that she realized the civil rights violations that the United States imposed on people of Japanese ancestry during World War II. Her interest in Topaz grew as she met people who had been forced to leave their homes and businesses in the Bay Area and live in the difficult conditions that the camp imposed on people. The history of Topaz is complex, contradictory, and compelling and now is told in the exhibits at the Topaz Museum which is located in Delta.