Library to host author of ‘Prisons of War in Iowa’

Did you know Iowa had prisoner of war camps? Linda McCann, popular Iowa author and speaker, will be at the Colfax Public Library, 25 W. Division St., at 6:30 p.m. Monday to talk about this and her new book, “Prisoners of War in Iowa.”

There were about 25,000 German, Italian and Japanese prisoners of war in Iowa during World War II. Algona and Clarinda were the main camps, plus there were about 17 branch camps throughout Iowa. At the branch camps, the prisoners helped farmers, worked in canning factories, and to some extent, took the place of the young Iowa men fighting the war in Europe. Without the POWs, many people and soldiers could have suffered from lack of food.

McCann has been able to speak with people who worked with the prisoners, had them work on their farms or who just got to know them. Many POWs brought their families to Iowa after the war to see where they had been imprisoned and to meet the people who made the prisoner’s life better.

This is a free program open to all. Refreshments will be provided. The program will be in the lower level meeting room.