From the Archives

Branch Camps

Moorehead, MN

Camp Number: 1

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POW Housing: Union Warehouse owned by the Moorehead Co-op Onion Growers on corner of 21st St. & 5th Ave.

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Open: May 28th - Nov., 1944; Aug. - Nov., 1945

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Type of Work: Farm labor

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Commanding Officer: 1st Lt. Blair & 2nd Lt. B.C. Davis

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Number of POW: 85 men (as of Sep. 1945)

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Unique Occurrences: Drowning of Franz Hummer

Fairmont, MN

Camp Number: 2

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POW Housing: 4H Building at the Martin County Fairgrounds Company Barracks North of Town Interlaken Inn Workers Barracks

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Open: June 5th - July 1944; Sept. 2nd, 1944 - Dec. 14th, 1945

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Type of Work: Farm labor, canning, eviscerating, construction

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Commanding Officer: 2nd Lt. Jake M. Orf & Capt. Joseph Gaitskill

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Number of POW: 568 men (as of Sep. 1945)

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Unique Occurrences: Issues with fraternization

Remer, MN

Camp Number: 3

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POW Housing: Abandoned CCC camp in the Chippewa National Forest

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Open: Jan.31st, 1944 - Jan. 1945

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Type of Work: Logging

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Commanding Officer: Capt. Richard D. Harding & 1st Lt. Jacob A. Yockey

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Number of POW: 247 men (as of Feb. 1944)

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Unique Occurrences: Fraternization and drinking with the locals

Bena, MN

Camp Number: 4

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POW Housing: CCC Camp near Lake Winnibigoshish

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Open: Jan.31st, 1944 - June 1944 - Oct. 1944 - Oct. 1945

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Type of Work: Logging

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Commanding Officer: Lt. Neal A. Broyles; Capt. Kenneth F. McMlintic; Capt. Clifford M. Jenner

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Number of POW: 40 men (as of Sep. 1945)

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Unique Occurrences: Escape of two POWs; 6 trained dogs working under a Sergeant

Camp Number: 5

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POW Housing: The home of former State Senator T. Cashman

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Open: March 23rd, 1944 - Dec. 21st, 1945

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Type of Work: Farm labor, canning, and plant nursery

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Commanding Officer: 1st Lt. Basil W. Poytner, Jr.

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Number of POW: 277 men (as of Sep. 1945)

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Unique Occurrences: POWs resided in the house of a former Senator until it burned down, leading to the closing of the camp

Camp Number: 6

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POW Housing: 4CCC Camp 707 near Squaw Lake

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Open: . APril 5th, 1944 - Dec. 26th, 1945

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Type of Work: Logging

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Commanding Officer: Capt. Wayne Kennedy & 2nd Lt. Kenneth A. Brown

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Number of POW: 136 men (as of Sept. 1945)

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Unique Occurrences: Issues with illegal hunting & lax control over prisoners

Camp Number: 7

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POW Housing: CCC Camp

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Open: June 7th, 1944 - Dec. 1945

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Type of Work: Farm labor, canning, brick and tile

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Commanding Officer: 1st Lt. Arthur S. Roberts

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Number of POW: 315 men (as of Sep. 1945)

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Unique Occurrences: Use of sugar to brew alcohol & sympathy from citizens of New Ulm

Camp Number: 8

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POW Housing: Wood barracks attached to hemp lant

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Open: June 10th, 1944 - Oct. 9th, 1944; June 3rd, 1945 - Oct. 21st, 1945

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Type of Work: Farm labor & canning

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Commanding Officer: Capt. Clyde W. Snider & 1st Lt. Robert T. Cumback

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Number of POW: 427 men (as of Sep. 1945)

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Unique Occurrences: Pro-Nazi pamphlets thrown out of train windows en route to Montgomery

Camp Number: 9

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POW Housing: Barracks built onto the canning factory

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Open: June 20th, 1944 - Nov. 1944; March 27th, 1945 - Nov. 30th, 1945

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Type of Work: Farm labor, canning, plant nursery

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Commanding Officer: Sgt. Milligan, Lt. Robert Poynter, & 2nd Lt. Bertrand C. Davis

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Number of POW: 412 men (as of Sep. 1945)

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Unique Occurrences: 2 prisoners leaving camp grounds

Camp Number: 10

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POW Housing: Permanent buildings in Whitewater State Park

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Open: June 30th, 1944 - Oct. 1944 & April 18th, 1945 - Oct. 10th, 1945

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Type of Work: Farm labor & canning

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Commanding Officer: Capt. Jack Elson & Capt. Kenneth McClintic

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Number of POW: 255 men (as of Sep. 1945)

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Unique Occurrences: Group of POWs going on strike, supposed Swastika painting & Jewish Translator

Camp Number: 11

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POW Housing: Quarters next to the Big Stone Camping Company

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Open: July 7th, 1944 - Sept. 24th, 1944; July 10, 1945 - Nov. 1945

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Type of Work: Farm labor and canning

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Commanding Officer: Capt. Clifford M. Jenner

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Number of POW: 244 men (as of Sept. 1945)

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Unique Occurrences: Camp was in two states, the headquarters were in South Dakota and the stockade was     

in Minnesota

Camp Number: 12

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POW Housing: Wright County Fair Grounds

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Open: August 7th, 1944 - Sept. 1944; July 1945 - Oct. 1945

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Type of Work: Farm labor & canning

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Commanding Officer: Sgt. Carl Tishthammer

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Number of POW: 109 men (as of Sept. 1945)

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Unique Occurrences: Anti-Nazi Camp

Camp Number: 13

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POW Housing: Hardin County Fairgrounds, former CCC Buildings

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Open: August 10th, 1944 - Nov. 1945

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Type of Work: Farm labor, canning, plant nursery, miscellaneous industry, brick and tile

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Commanding Officer: 1st Lt. Joseph Schwarakopf; Capt. HW Kreger; Capt. Charles Lawyer

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Number of POW: 314 men (as of Sept. 1945)

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Unique Occurrences: Christmas Celebrations

Camp Number: 14

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POW Housing: Temporarily in Warburg College; YWCA Camp

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Open: August 15th, 1944 - Nov. 1944; March 8, 1945 - Sept. 1945

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Type of Work: Farm labor & canning

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Commanding Officer: 1st Lt Arthur M. Simpson

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Number of POW: 314 men (as of Sept. 1944)

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Unique Occurrences: Interacting with locals

Camp Number: 15

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POW Housing: Bird Island Fairgrounds

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Open: September 16, 1944 - October 1944

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Type of Work: Farm labor

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Commanding Officer: Not on record

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Number of POW: Unknown

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Unique Occurrences: Names and address of POWs given to a field foreman

Camp Number: 16

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POW Housing: Migrant Workers Bunkhouse

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Open: Oct. 9th, 1944 - Nov. 1944; Sep. 16th, 1945 - Oct. 23, 1945

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Type of Work: Farm labor 

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Commanding Officer: Not on record

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Number of POW: Unknown

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Unique Occurrences: None known

Camp Number: 17

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POW Housing: Wildwood Park Club House

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Open: October 19th, 1944 - November 1945

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Type of Work: Farm labor and canning

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Commanding Officer: Sgt. Herman T. Hendrix

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Number of POW: 66 men (as of Sept. 1945)

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Unique Occurrences: None on record

Camp Number: 18

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POW Housing: 22 miles north of Grand Rapids

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Open: January 1945 - April 1945

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Type of Work: Logging

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Commanding Officer: Werner Schmiedeberg

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Number of POW: Not on record

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Unique Occurrences: Not on record

Camp Number: 19

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POW Housing: An acreage named Union Park

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Open: February 2nd, 1945 - September 16th, 1945

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Type of Work: Miscellaneous Industry

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Commanding Officer: Lt. Sam Herman; Capt. Ray M. Davis

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Number of POW: 49 men (as of Sept. 1945)

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Unique Occurrences: Originally opened under Camp Clarinda

Camp Number: 20

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POW Housing: CCC Camp west of Shenandoah

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Open: 1943 - July 1945; Oct. 24, 1945 - Nov. 1945

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Type of Work: Farm labor and plant nursery

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Commanding Officer: Capt. Jon B. Glary

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Number of POW: 100 men (as of Oct. 1943)

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Unique Occurrences: The original Italian POWs were deemed unsuitable for work and were replaced.

Camp Number: 21

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POW Housing: Tabor College Campus

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Open: March 1945 - July 1945; Oct. 24th, 1945 - Nov. 1945

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Type of Work: Farm labor and plant nursery

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Commanding Officer: Sgt. Carl Tisthammer; M. Sgt. Patrick B. Smith

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Number of POW: 260 men (as of July 1945)​

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Unique Occurrences: None on record

Camp Number: 22

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POW Housing: Yankton Airport

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Open: April 2nd, 1945 - July 1945

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Type of Work: Missouri River flood control

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Commanding Officer: 1st Lt. Donald P. Copper

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Number of POW: 100 men (as of April 1945)

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Unique Occurrences: SS Troopers attempting to start a 'revolution' with Hitler Slogans resulting in their removal from camp

Camp Number: 23

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POW Housing: Fairport Fish Hatchery

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Open: April 6th, 1945 - November 1945

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Type of Work: Farm labor, canning, and brick and tile

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Commanding Officer: Lt. Stephen V. Cope

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Number of POW: 235 men (as of Sept. 1945)

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Unique Occurrences: None on record

Camp Number: 24

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POW Housing: Old Hemp Mill north of town

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Open: June 13, 1945 - October 1945

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Type of Work: Farm labor, canning, field drainage, and eviscerating

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Commanding Officer: Lt. W.P. Schmiedeberg

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Number of POW: 405 men (as of Sept. 1945)

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Unique Occurrences: POWs were sent to work without a guard; Italians and Germans working out of the same camp

Camp Number: 25

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POW Housing: Government yards on the Missouri River west of Onawa by 7 miles

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Open: July 4th, 1945 - November 1945

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Type of Work: Missouri River Flood Control

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Commanding Officer: Sgt. Allan Harris

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Number of POW: 86 men (as of Sept. 1945)

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Unique Occurrences: None on record

Storm Lake, IA

Camp Number: 26

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POW Housing: A country settlement known for deplorable conditions coined "Hollywood"

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Open: August 1, 1945 - October 1945

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Type of Work: Farm labor a

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Commanding Officer: 1st Lt. Donald P. Copper

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Number of POW: 100 men (as of April 1945)

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Unique Occurrences: SS Troopers attempting to start a 'revolution' with Hitler Slogans resulting in their removal from camp

Camp Number: 27

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POW Housing: Indian Sanatorium

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Open: August 11, 1945 - September 1945

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Type of Work: Farm labor, canning, plant nursery, brick and tile

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Commanding Officer: Lt. J. Boerlage

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Number of POW: 121 (as of Sept. 1945)

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Unique Occurrences: Long process to approve the camp

Camp Number: 28

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POW Housing: Tents near Rogers Brothers Factory

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Open: Sept. 5th, 1943 - Oct. 25th, 1943; August 23rd, 1945 - Nov. 13th, 1945

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Type of Work: Farm labor and canning

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Commanding Officer: Capt. G.B. Howell; Lt. J.W. Kent

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Number of POW: 46 men (as of Sept. 1945)

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Unique Occurrences: Locals took special interest in Italian POWs and even served them a meal of spaghetti

Camp Number: 29

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POW Housing: Unknown

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Open: August 30, 1945 - Nov. 1945

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Type of Work: Quartermaster Laundry, S. Falls

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Commanding Officer: Not on file

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Number of POW: 162 men (as of Sept. 1945)

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Unique Occurrences: Italian POW posing as a poor cripple, begging for money until he was caught by police

Camp Number: 30

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POW Housing: Winter Sports Arena

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Open: Oct. 7th, 1945 - Nov. 7th, 1945

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Type of Work: Farm labor

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Commanding Officer: Not on record

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Number of POW: 365 men (as of October 1945)

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Unique Occurrences: Only open for a month; weather causing delays in work

Camp Number: 31

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POW Housing: Coliseum on Fair Grounds

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Open: Oct. 14th, 1945 - Nov. 1945

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Type of Work: Farm labor

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Commanding Officer: Not on record

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Number of POW: 200 men (as of Oct. 1945)

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Unique Occurrences: Desperate need for labor; assisting with the "near miracle' crop harvest

Camp Number: 32

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POW Housing: Armory

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Open: Oct. 14th, 1945 - Nov. 10th, 1945

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Type of Work: Farm labor

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Commanding Officer: Capt. Jack I. Elson

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Number of POW: 280 men (as of Oct. 1945)

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Unique Occurrences: Assisted with the 'near miracle' crop harvest

Camp Number: 33

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POW Housing: Not on record

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Open: Oct. 17th, 1945 - Nov. 10th, 1945

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Type of Work: Farm labor

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Commanding Officer: Not on record

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Number of POW: Not on record

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Unique Occurrences: Assisted with the "near miracle" crop harvest

Camp Number: 34

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POW Housing: North Star College

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Open: Oct. 7th, 1945 - Nov. 6th, 1945

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Type of Work: Farm labor

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Commanding Officer: Lt. Harry Wexler

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Number of POW: Not on record

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Unique Occurrences: Italian POWs assisted with the 'near miracle' crop harvest