And Now, A Little Camp Pine History...
During WWII, the Americans realized that, because of the expenses of shipping food and supplies to overseas prisoners of war, it would actually be cheaper to send the prisoners back to the States; thus, Camp Pine was born.
Camp Pine was opened in what had been barracks constructed during the Depression to house WPA employees near Dam No. 2. The majority of German POWs were originally housed at Fort Sheridan in Lake County, Illinois, and their labor was used to turn the old WPA barracks into what would become Camp Pine. The camp was opened for the German POWs in April of 1945.
Unknown German POW, left, German POW Rudolf Velte, center, and Mount Prospect farmer Eugene Carl, right. Camp Pines POWs labored on Carl's sugar beet farm.
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In conjunction with the Cook County Farm Labor Association, the US Government put the POWs to work at local farms and some businesses. A few even worked in Pesche's gardens in Des Plaines. The prisoners worked for eight cents an hour or were paid in cash and canteen coupons.
The locals took well to having the POWs so close to home. The Germans took notice, and often would wave at Des Plaines residents as they drove trucks of produce through town. One Des Plaines couple were so kindly to the Germans that it almost landed them in trouble with the FBI. During the days of Camp Pine, the Daily Herald reported that FBI agents monitoring the camp had a run-in with two Des Plaines citizens who were driving three prisoners back to Camp Pine at 2 a.m. After the FBI found out that the couple had simply taken the Germans home for "a good supper," the feds decided no harm was done.
Pictured in unknown order: farmers Russell Mahler and Fred Mahler, August Sell, German POWs and other farm laborers on the Russell Mahler farm (Green Valley Farms), located on Mount Prospect Road in Des Plaines..
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By the time the camp closed in March of 1946, only around 30 POWs remained of the nearly 200 that had been housed there. Many of the former prisoners returned home to Germany, but some were so enamored of The City of Roses that they decided to stay.
After the POWs were released from Camp Pine, it enjoyed a brief period as a camp for visitors who probably enjoyed their stays much more than their German predecessors: Boy and Girl Scouts. Not much is left of Camp Pine today except rubble and some rusty plumbing. Apart from where the cache is hidden, there is a concrete slab nearly due south in a tiny thicket of trees, but not much else.
Hope you learned a bit about Des Plaines area history! When I first found out about this I thought it was too bizarre to be true. If you want to know more about Camp Pine or Des Plaines history in general, be sure to visit the Des Plaines Public Library and check out some books, or visit the Des Plaines Historical Society.
The cache is a 35mm film canister. Shouldn't be too tricky to find. This is my first hide, so please leave feedback! Thanks, and happy hunting!
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