George Masa research blog created

[Paul Bonesteel]

Back in 1999 I began a research and production effort that led to the making of The Mystery of George Masa documentary film. With it's release in 2002 to the PBS system the 86 minute film aired in about 40% of the United States. This year, a one-hour version will be released to the PBS system to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Masa's inclusion in Ken Burns' new film The National Parks: America's Best Idea.

With the expectation that many people will hear about George Masa for the first time from watching these broadcasts, I have created a blog so that people that are interested in researching the story or who come across relevant information about the significant mysteries that exist about Masa have a place to contact me, and post this information for others. Here is the link to the blog, click here to check it out.

Here is a list of what I consider the most important questions that surround the story of George Masa. See the blog for more details about each.

-Proof of his life before he arrived in Asheville, NC in December 1914. Evidence of someone named Masahara Izuka, George Masa, (or a combination of those names)arriving into and/or living and working in the United States between 1900 and 1915. He was known to have traveled from San Francisco to New Orleans to Asheville, NC, and also to have spent time in Washington DC, Sulpher Springs, VA, and Denver, Colorado.

-Photos by George Masa (please see the next post for photo ID clues). Thousands of George Masa photos are missing. Many were sold after his death to a photographer named Elliot Lyman Fisher who lived in Asheville, NC until the mid-1950's and then died in Florida in 1968. There is no trace of a single Masa image from the thousands Fisher bought.

-Connection to, or evidence of any surviving family members in Japan. This will be the topic of a future post, identifying what we know about Masa's family in Japan. Due to the time that has passed, language differences and sheer number of people on the planet, this is perhaps the most unlikely mystery to be solved.