POWs In New Mexico

 

 

It was approx a 120 acres in size and guarded by the 340th MP Co. The first detainees were from the Afrika Corp..and not surprising were not entirely viewed with welcome by the locals. But that would change. It was located approx 14 miles SW of Roswell on the high desert and wide ass open prairie.

Escape while theoretically possible would have been dicey. Because even tho Mexico was only about 250 miles to the dead south.....a POW would have been crossing some of the nastiest country (barren and broken, cut to hell with shallow ravines and damn little water) in the S. Pecos Valley-SE New Mexico. Before he ever crossed over the Guadalupe Mtns into west Texas and tried for the river near Juarez-El Paso.

 

 

At some point according to varying sources over 4000 were held there. Mostly used as farm laborers picking cotton and veggies in the valley. 50 or so were recruited to work on shoring up the banks of North Branch of the Spring River in Roswell (Trib to  the Pecos R.) and they promptly proceeded to rip rap away. And...design an 'Iron Cross' into the embankment.

 

 

Naturally the locals took offense and dumped concrete over it to hide the art work. But the 'kamerads' had the last laugh. As many years of intermittent spring and fall rains washed the 'crete' away.

 

 

And now?

 

 

 

Yupper an Iron Cross made of stone can be viewed on the north bank between Penn and Kentucky Aves on the Riverwalk.

 

 

Camp Orchard Park is a great little history story and perhaps others will share of such installations where they now reside.

 

 

CV

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:

 

 

 

 

 

German POW's in Roswell, Roswell 100 years of History., Southwest Printers LLC., 2012. Roswell, N.M.

 

Special consideration and thanks to Ernestine Chesser Williams and her work Treasures of History II.