06/03/2026
Senior Speaker Series: Week 1️⃣4️⃣ of 1️⃣4️⃣
Did you know that during World War II, Iowa became home to thousands of enemy prisoners of war?
Following Allied victories in North Africa, the number of captured German and Italian soldiers quickly exceeded the capacity of detention facilities overseas. As a result, POWs were transported to the United States, where more than 500 camps eventually housed nearly 400,000 prisoners. Iowa played a unique role in this effort, with camps established in Algona and Clarinda.
At the same time, Iowa farmers faced severe labor shortages as many Americans served in the military. POW labor programs helped meet agricultural demands and support the nation's wartime food production goals.
Join us this Friday (6/05) at 10 AM for an engaging presentation exploring Iowa's POW camps, daily life behind the fences, prisoner labor programs, community interactions, and the arrival of Japanese prisoners at Camp Clarinda, one of only two camps in the nation to house Japanese soldiers. This remarkable chapter of Iowa history reveals how wartime necessity brought former enemies together and challenged communities to balance security, duty, and humanity.
This program has been funded by Humanities Iowa, a private nonprofit, and the State Historical Society, Inc. of Iowa.
