Little Guayule: The Lost Manzanar Rubber Project

Incoming Editorial Team·Verified October 24, 2026

Guayule, a plant native to the desert Southwest, is a natural source of non-latex rubber. During World War II, the Japanese Empire’s occupation of much of Southeast Asia meant that the Allies lost access to major sources of natural rubber. In a remarkable story of skill, resilience, and ingenuity, Japanese Americans incarcerated at Manzanar and elsewhere worked to cultivate guayule and dramatically improve methods for extracting rubber from the plant. Little Guayule: The Lost Manzanar Rubber Project helps bring this little-known chapter of Manzanar history to light.