The volunteer hosts at the Camp Algona Prisoner of War museum sometimes get that response. Why would the U.S. government spend $1.3 million to build a prison camp for 10,000 German prisoners in Algona? Even for those who don’t know our history, that’s a legitimate question. Why would the government do that?
One main reason was we needed their labor. Without the labor of the POWs, farmers wouldn’t have been able to produce food and other essentials for our country. American food production helped feed our soldiers and our people. That’s why creating a museum to tell the story was such a great idea.
See all of the Our Kossuth County column in the April 9 Kossuth County Advance.
