During World War II, a seasonal Prisoner of War Camp in Ovid held nearly 400 German prisoners who worked in nearby potato and sugar beet fields, with housing provided in 40 tents and two large downtown buildings. Handling livestock while working for area ranches gave Thad Sowder the skills he needed to earn the World Championship for bronc riding in both 1901 and 1902. Sowder rode in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show and was one of the first to be named to the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. A memorial headstone marks his grave in the Ovid Cemetery.