Saturday, September 23, 2017

As predicted, we had a rainy day today, so we went into the museum in Belle Fourche.  We did watch the Brewers win their game today.  Finally!  They couldn't lose another 10th inning game to them!  We had a geo-cache our first day in, that took us to an area just south of where we are camped.  During the war, many buildings were constructed to house the POW'S from Germany.  The buildings were either moved into Belle Fourche or torn down. One of the buildings houses the VFW in Belle Fourche today.  At the museum today, we got a little more information on that situation.  There were about 400,000 German soldiers captured during the war and brought over here to help fill the massive labor shortage the United States faced because millions of the GI's were overseas.  One 17 year old German soldier said, "As soon as we were in American hands, we had it good.  All of the things we suffered through in Germany, especially hunger, had vanished just like that.  Everything was perfect."  The POW'S that arrived, helped harvest the sugar beets in the Belle Fourche Irrigation District.  They were trucked to the scheduled farms in the morning and returned at 6:00 p.m.  They received $0.80 a day in canteen coupons.  They couldn't buy beer, cigarettes, candy or soft drinks.  Many of the prisoners became friendly with their 'farmer, friend/employer' and once the war was over, and they returned home, they corresponded with them.  Some even returned to visit these same people that they worked for.  We used to go to dances in Hartford, WI and that dance hall, was also a place where POW'S were housed.  It is my understanding, that they placed them all over the U.S. where they needed a stronger work force.  I will post one picture today that we took on Thursday at the Visitor Center.  It is the 'Center of the Nation' monument.  It measure 21 feet across and is constructed of South Dakota granite.  I previously posted a picture of the plaque telling of this area as being the center of the U.S. after Hawaii and Alaska joined the Union.  Tomorrow is another rainy day, so we will probably not post anything.  GO PACK, GO! We'll be watching.  We move to Sundance, Wyoming on Monday. 

                                                       Geographic Center of the Nation