An Iowa author and historian, Linda McCann, is visiting two local libraries later this week to discuss the somewhat forgotten legacy of prisoner-of-war (POW) camps in Iowa during World War II. According to McCann, there were nearly 25,000 German, Italian and Japanese POWs in Iowa by 1945. The main camps were in Algona and Clarinda, but up to 100 prisoners were housed in Audubon at several points during the war.
McCann was in Audubon County recently conducting research and was shocked by how many people were not aware of this part of the community’s history. She says it is especially surprising, considering how involved these POWs were in the local economy.
People generally think of brutal living conditions when they think of POWs, but McCann says that just was not the case here.
McCann says the history alone is fascinating, but the personal stories she’s collected, which she will share during her programs, are where it gets really interesting. She encourages anybody with an interest in World War II to make it to one of the presentations.
McCann will be at the Audubon Public Library on Thursday, April 11 at 6:30 p.m. and at the Carroll Public Library on Friday, April 12 at 11 a.m. There is no cost to attend either presentation and copies of her book, “Prisoners of War in Iowa,” will be available for purchase.
