Camp Rupert
Camp Rupert was a World War II prisoner of war camp in the western United States, located in Minidoka County, Idaho, west of Paul. It was built for $1.5 million, which was everything needed for a city of 3,000: barracks, water, sewer, and a hospital. The first POWs were Italian and were received in May 1944, and 500 German POWs arrived that September. The camp was in the Magic Valley, an irrigated agricultural area of the Snake River Plain, at an approximate elevation of above sea level. POWs set up an army-style branch camp to plant and harvest a crop, or to simply harvest the crop. They were transported from camp to the field in a truck. Approximately 15 prisoners were in a truck with one guard. The POWs, requested by a farmer, were transported by the farmer to his field. The farmer and the War Labor Board assigned a quota to the POWs. German language information was provided to instruct the prisoners how to accomplish the task. These ranged from leaflets to a German language film produced by the Utah-Idaho Sugar Company. Farmers were expected to guard the POWs, which led to complaints, such as from U-I Sugar, that