In the early hours of May 1942, the town of Grinnell, Iowa emerged in the windows of the Rocky Mountain Rocket Train carrying the first group of Nisei students from the West Coast.

After traveling over a thousand miles from their homes in California, the students sat in an air of uncertainty as their train came to a halt at the Grinnell Union Depot.

Akiko Hosoi, Barbara Takahashi, and William Kiyasu first arrived on May 8, 1942, while Hisaji Sakai arrived via the same train route two days later. Hisaji recalled his trip to Grinnell:

As the Rocky Mountain Rocket Train pulled away from the platform and towards Iowa City, the four students' journeys in Grinnell began.