During World War II, the U.S. built prisoner of war camps across the country, including one north of Indianola that opened in 1943. It held mostly German soldiers captured in North Africa and Italy, with prisoners beginning to arrive by train in November 1943 and the camp in full operation by the end of the year. Camp Indianola covered 250 acres, had nearly 200 buildings, and could house up to 3,000 prisoners; at its peak, it held 2,549 and served as both a base camp and a branch camp. Although prisoners were originally intended to work on flood control projects, a wartime labor shortage led to their being sent from Indianola to smaller camps where farmers hired them as laborers. After the war, the camp was transferred to the Bureau of Reclamation and housed workers and their families during construction of flood control projects. Removal, neglect, and demolition later left a collection of ruins, though some buildings were relocated and used as homes.