Near this location stood Camp Reedsburg, a World War II prisoner of war camp that housed 137 German POWs. It was one of more than 35 camps across Wisconsin. After Pearl Harbor, the United States entered World War II and within months began receiving enemy POWs. The vast majority sent to Wisconsin were German, though there were also Italian and Japanese POWs. They were sent to the US on ships, then traveled across the country by train to large base camps, and from there were assigned to smaller branch camps in communities to offset local labor shortages. They were paid 80 cents per day for their work and could spend their earnings in the canteen or save it until the war's end. Camp Reedsburg operated as a branch camp from June 1945 to August 1945, and its POWs came from the Camp Sheridan, IL, base camp. After an outcry in the local paper about security, a snow fence was placed around the camp's perimeter. The POWs lived in army-style tents and used additional outbuildings within the camp. They worked primarily in agriculture and at canning plants, traveling by military vehicles or on foot to nearby job sites. During World War II, more than 400,000 POWs were held in the US.