Salina, Utah

Today, Betty and I visited the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) and POW Camp museum in Salina, Utah. The CCC camp provided many jobs during the 1930s and up until WWII. During WWII, the sugar beet farmers needed labor for the fields since most of the local young men had gone off to war. The U.S. Army agreed to bring 250 German prisoners of war to Salina from the Odgen camp to work in the fields. The prisoners were treated well by the locals and were paid $0.10/day plus meals to work on the farms. In July 1945, one of the Army guards mounted the guard tower and started firing 250 rounds from a .30 caliber machine gun at the prisoners who were sleeping in tents. Nine prisoners were killed and 17 were injured.
While the incident made national news at the time, it was soon overshadowed one month later by the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.
If you are ever traveling on I-70 in Utah, it is worth your time to stop and tour the museum.