A travelling exhibit on show at Fort Steele tells the compelling story of Japanese Americans imprisoned during World War 2.

Two Views: Photography by Ansel Adams and Leonard Frank is on loan from the Japanese Canadian National Museum and can be seen at the International Hotel in Fort Steele Heritage Town until April 23rd.

After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the Canadian government forced the relocation of 22,000 Japanese Canadians away from the west coast and into internment camps in B.C.'s interior.

Photographer Leonard Frank visited the camps and took reels of stark images depicting the situation for the Japanese Canadians - their dormitories, hospitals and schools.

Meanwhile, in the United States, nearly 120,000 Japanese Americans were sent to internment camps. Photographer Ansel Adams captured the happier side of life in the Manzanar camp in California.

The images of Adams and Frank are poles apart in their tone and they show "two views" of the Japanese North American experience.

The exhibit began at Fort Steele on January 29th with an opening reception attended by more than 50 people.

"It was a good turnout for that space, and the roads were pretty bad that night," said Fort Steele marketing and guest services manager Brandy Dunnebacke.

"We actually had a local teacher bring in some Japanese exchange students to see the exhibit. I don't think they had ever heard the stories so they were quite interested in it."

Fort Steele is the first stop in the exhibit's national tour.

"It's really relevant to our area. A lot of the internment camps were located in the West Kootenay. It's a story that is not often told," said Dunnebacke.

She hopes the exhibit will have many visitors over the three months it will be shown at Fort Steele.

"For people who are interested in photography, Ansel Adams and Leonard Frank are quite famous photographers so from that aspect it is quite interesting," said Dunnebacke.