IYR at the Museum: Good food, Good fun, Crazy Trains!
Early in September, teens from the Idaho Youth Ranch transformed the back lot of the museum from an ocean of weeds into a tidy graveled area. Thanks to you all!
Camp Rupert Historical Marker
On August 30, 2012, many folks showed up to dedicate the Camp Rupert Historical Marker. Minidoka County Historical Society President, Gus Bryngleson, kicked off the dedication by thanking those responsible for their dedication to the project. John Firth, Arlo Lloyd, Gary Schorzman, and Anne Schenk, along with Nathan Jerke from the Idaho Transportation Department, worked on the project for two years to prove that the camp existed so the sign could be placed.
Camp Rupert was the name of the World War II Prisoner of War camp, located near Paul, Idaho. While prisoners of other nationalities were also housed at the camp, Camp Rupert is best known for holding German and Italian prisoners.
During the war, there were no young men left to bring in the harvest, so the POWs worked in the fields for local farmers. Without their help, crops would have rotted in the fields.
Historical Society member, Anne Schenk, compiled the following time line from original Minidoka County News articles:
CAMP RUPERT TIMELINE - THE MINIDOKA COUNTY NEWS
06/24/43 - Major O. A. Lewis of Boise, District Engineer for U.S. Army Engineers confirmed employment of 1500 men to construct a POW camp that will house 3,000 to 4,000 POWs. The site of the camp will be located 5 miles west of Paul, on government land, part of the Minidoka Project Extension in Section 35. The camp will require housing for approximately 1000 army personnel (one soldier is required for every 4 prisoners). Charles Beattie and B.F. Logan, civilian engineers are in charge of preliminary work. Work to commence on July 1st. Buildings will be of frame construction with tar paper similar to Hunt Camp.
07/01/43 - Bids for construction of camp to be let July 5th in Portland, Oregon. 12” well almost completed.
07/08/43 - J. W. Brennan and Cahoon of Pocatello won bid to build camp. Their subcontractors are Hoops Construction Company of Twin Falls, Intermountain Plumbing Company of Boise and C-L Electric Company of Pocatello.
08/12/43 - Work on camp approximately 25% complete.
10/07/43 - Army took occupancy on Friday 10/01/43.
10/27/43 - Public invited to official opening of Camp Rupert. 350 people attend flag raising ceremony and tour of camp. Lt. Col. R. S. Dicey Commanding Officer.
01/27/44 - Camp Rupert to remain empty of prisoners until spring.
02/17/44 - 3000 German POWs to arrive here by May 1st as per Major Nichols. Major Nichols is leaving for overseas duty and Capt. D. A. Scott will succeed him.
06/1/44 - 100 Italian POWs arrive and will begin labor on June 26.
09/28/44 - A large number of German POWs arrive. Italian POWs relocated to branch camps.
12/21/44 - 1500 POWs sent to California to work in the fields.
04/26/44 - Monday April 16th Prisoners strike at camp. Refuse to work under non commissioned officers. Lt. Col Dott E. Smith orders strikers put on bread and water diet and to sleep outdoors on the ground with only one blanket. 35 ring leaders are rounded up and put into guard houses, some are put into solitary confinement.
05/07/45 - V/E Day - Germany surrenders.
05/24/45 - Beet thinning under way. Twelve details of German POWs and 87 Mexican Nationals
Labor in fields. New quota = ½ acre beets thinned or 30 bushels potatoes cut per man.
07/05/45 - Two German prisoners sentenced to 15 years hard labor for striking two US Army officers during strike in April, 1945.
07/19/45 - Minidoka County Farm Labor Sponsoring Assoc. cancels contracts for POW labor effective July 17th.
08/02/45 - New contract with Minidoka County Farm Labor Sponsoring Assoc. for 100 POWs to
Work in fields at 60 cent per hour per man.
08/16/45 - Ninth Service Command at SLC tentatively allotted 305 POWs to county from October 1 to November 15 for Beet and Potato harvest. MCFLSA requests that the number be raised to 500.
09/20/45 - Three details, 15-20 POWs each, start work in potato fields. Farmers are requested to deposit $100.00 per day for use of POW labor. Deposit is required by the government to help offset the cost of housing transportation ect of POWs. The POWs also receive approx. 60 to 80 cents per hour for their labor.
10/04/45 - 300 POWs now in the fields.
10/11/45 - 350 German officers volunteer to work in fields.
10/18/45 - 16 details of POWs in fields, this includes enlisted as well as officers.
11/15/45 - 29 details of POWs in the fields.
02/07/46 - 1500 POWs leave Camp Rupert on 02/02 and 02/03. 500 - 1000 POWs left at camp.
02/14/46 - 350 POWs requested for beet thinning. June 15th is placed as limitation on availability of POWs.
04/04/46 - Col. Dott E. Smith and fourteen past and present members of staff was awarded Army Commendation ribbons for outstanding service.
04/11/46 - 50 POWs requested to be added to the 450 already allocated for labor.
06/06/46 - Remaining POWs to be transferred when farm labor contract ends on June 15th as per Major Paul A. Johnson, acting commanding officer. Government has declared camp as surplus property and will be disposed of accordingly.
06/20/46 - POWs ordered transferred by June 20th as per Col. H. G Rion new commanding officer replacing D. E. Smith.
06/27/46 - Extension of POW labor sought for general labor. Last Friday June 1st peak day with 600 POWs in the fields.
07/04/46 - Col. H. G. Rion: 1000 outgoing POWs. Approximately 1890 POWs left in camp.
7600 total POWs left including branch camps. All camps to be empty by July 9th. 100 POWs still in fields as of July 2nd.
07/11/46 - Camp Rupert empty except for a few hospital patients.
08/15/46 - Bureau of Reclamation wants Camp Rupert for headquarters of North Side
Extension Project.
08/29/46 - Bids are to be publicly opened at Fort Douglas on 08/29 and 08/30 for sale of items
of various quantities, surplus and salvage goods and equipment located at Camp Rupert.
10/17/46 - Dept of Interior to handle sale of camp buildings, ect. First ten days bids will be accepted from state and local agencies. Next fifteen days bids will be accepted from veterans and people who have lost their homes due to fire or flood. After that bids will be accepted from the general public.
11/21/46 - BOR handles the sale of Camp Rupert and Hunt Camp property.
06/05/47 - The last of Camp Rupert’s buildings (44) are put up for bid. Have to assume that everything was sold or hauled off by July of 1947. There are no more references to the camp after that.
For more information about Camp Rupert Historical Marker, please follow the links:
Times News Article
Sun Valley Online Notice
These two pictures are snapshots into life in Camp Rupert after the week's work was finished.
Camp Rupert was the name of the World War II Prisoner of War camp, located near Paul, Idaho. While prisoners of other nationalities were also housed at the camp, Camp Rupert is best known for holding German and Italian prisoners.
During the war, there were no young men left to bring in the harvest, so the POWs worked in the fields for local farmers. Without their help, crops would have rotted in the fields.
Historical Society member, Anne Schenk, compiled the following time line from original Minidoka County News articles:
CAMP RUPERT TIMELINE - THE MINIDOKA COUNTY NEWS
06/24/43 - Major O. A. Lewis of Boise, District Engineer for U.S. Army Engineers confirmed employment of 1500 men to construct a POW camp that will house 3,000 to 4,000 POWs. The site of the camp will be located 5 miles west of Paul, on government land, part of the Minidoka Project Extension in Section 35. The camp will require housing for approximately 1000 army personnel (one soldier is required for every 4 prisoners). Charles Beattie and B.F. Logan, civilian engineers are in charge of preliminary work. Work to commence on July 1st. Buildings will be of frame construction with tar paper similar to Hunt Camp.
07/01/43 - Bids for construction of camp to be let July 5th in Portland, Oregon. 12” well almost completed.
07/08/43 - J. W. Brennan and Cahoon of Pocatello won bid to build camp. Their subcontractors are Hoops Construction Company of Twin Falls, Intermountain Plumbing Company of Boise and C-L Electric Company of Pocatello.
08/12/43 - Work on camp approximately 25% complete.
10/07/43 - Army took occupancy on Friday 10/01/43.
10/27/43 - Public invited to official opening of Camp Rupert. 350 people attend flag raising ceremony and tour of camp. Lt. Col. R. S. Dicey Commanding Officer.
01/27/44 - Camp Rupert to remain empty of prisoners until spring.
02/17/44 - 3000 German POWs to arrive here by May 1st as per Major Nichols. Major Nichols is leaving for overseas duty and Capt. D. A. Scott will succeed him.
06/1/44 - 100 Italian POWs arrive and will begin labor on June 26.
09/28/44 - A large number of German POWs arrive. Italian POWs relocated to branch camps.
12/21/44 - 1500 POWs sent to California to work in the fields.
04/26/44 - Monday April 16th Prisoners strike at camp. Refuse to work under non commissioned officers. Lt. Col Dott E. Smith orders strikers put on bread and water diet and to sleep outdoors on the ground with only one blanket. 35 ring leaders are rounded up and put into guard houses, some are put into solitary confinement.
05/07/45 - V/E Day - Germany surrenders.
05/24/45 - Beet thinning under way. Twelve details of German POWs and 87 Mexican Nationals
Labor in fields. New quota = ½ acre beets thinned or 30 bushels potatoes cut per man.
07/05/45 - Two German prisoners sentenced to 15 years hard labor for striking two US Army officers during strike in April, 1945.
07/19/45 - Minidoka County Farm Labor Sponsoring Assoc. cancels contracts for POW labor effective July 17th.
08/02/45 - New contract with Minidoka County Farm Labor Sponsoring Assoc. for 100 POWs to
Work in fields at 60 cent per hour per man.
08/16/45 - Ninth Service Command at SLC tentatively allotted 305 POWs to county from October 1 to November 15 for Beet and Potato harvest. MCFLSA requests that the number be raised to 500.
09/20/45 - Three details, 15-20 POWs each, start work in potato fields. Farmers are requested to deposit $100.00 per day for use of POW labor. Deposit is required by the government to help offset the cost of housing transportation ect of POWs. The POWs also receive approx. 60 to 80 cents per hour for their labor.
10/04/45 - 300 POWs now in the fields.
10/11/45 - 350 German officers volunteer to work in fields.
10/18/45 - 16 details of POWs in fields, this includes enlisted as well as officers.
11/15/45 - 29 details of POWs in the fields.
02/07/46 - 1500 POWs leave Camp Rupert on 02/02 and 02/03. 500 - 1000 POWs left at camp.
02/14/46 - 350 POWs requested for beet thinning. June 15th is placed as limitation on availability of POWs.
04/04/46 - Col. Dott E. Smith and fourteen past and present members of staff was awarded Army Commendation ribbons for outstanding service.
04/11/46 - 50 POWs requested to be added to the 450 already allocated for labor.
06/06/46 - Remaining POWs to be transferred when farm labor contract ends on June 15th as per Major Paul A. Johnson, acting commanding officer. Government has declared camp as surplus property and will be disposed of accordingly.
06/20/46 - POWs ordered transferred by June 20th as per Col. H. G Rion new commanding officer replacing D. E. Smith.
06/27/46 - Extension of POW labor sought for general labor. Last Friday June 1st peak day with 600 POWs in the fields.
07/04/46 - Col. H. G. Rion: 1000 outgoing POWs. Approximately 1890 POWs left in camp.
7600 total POWs left including branch camps. All camps to be empty by July 9th. 100 POWs still in fields as of July 2nd.
07/11/46 - Camp Rupert empty except for a few hospital patients.
08/15/46 - Bureau of Reclamation wants Camp Rupert for headquarters of North Side
Extension Project.
08/29/46 - Bids are to be publicly opened at Fort Douglas on 08/29 and 08/30 for sale of items
of various quantities, surplus and salvage goods and equipment located at Camp Rupert.
10/17/46 - Dept of Interior to handle sale of camp buildings, ect. First ten days bids will be accepted from state and local agencies. Next fifteen days bids will be accepted from veterans and people who have lost their homes due to fire or flood. After that bids will be accepted from the general public.
11/21/46 - BOR handles the sale of Camp Rupert and Hunt Camp property.
06/05/47 - The last of Camp Rupert’s buildings (44) are put up for bid. Have to assume that everything was sold or hauled off by July of 1947. There are no more references to the camp after that.
For more information about Camp Rupert Historical Marker, please follow the links:
Times News Article
Sun Valley Online Notice
These two pictures are snapshots into life in Camp Rupert after the week's work was finished.