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Camp Esterbrook

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Coordinates: 42°15′30″N 105°28′53″W / 42.258472°N 105.481417°W / 42.258472; -105.481417
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Camp Esterbrook
Laramie Peak site of Camp Esterbrook
LocationLaramie Peak area, Esterbrook, Wyoming
Coordinates42°15′30″N 105°28′53″W / 42.258472°N 105.481417°W / 42.258472; -105.481417
Built forCivilian Conservation Corps (1933-1939)
United States Army (1944-1946)
Governing bodyUnited States Forest Service
Camp Esterbrook is located in Wyoming
Camp Esterbrook
Camp Esterbrook
Location of Camp Esterbrook in Wyoming
Camp Esterbrook is located in the United States
Camp Esterbrook
Camp Esterbrook
Camp Esterbrook (the United States)
Trail to Laramie Peak

Camp Esterbrook is a historical site in the Medicine Bow National Forest in Albany County of eastern Wyoming in the United States in the Laramie Mountains. Camp Esterbrook was in the Laramie Peak area, closest town is the community of Esterbrook, Wyoming north of the camp. Camp Esterbrook is at about 7,400 feet (2,300 m) elevation near the Esterbrook Creek. Camp Esterbrook opened in spring 1944 and operated as World War 2 Prisoner of war (POW) camp. Today there are a few remains of the camp.[1][2]

Civilian Conservation Corps

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Esterbrook CCC Camp was one of 15 United States Forest Service Civilian Conservation Corps camps in the state Wyoming during the Great Depression. Medicine Bow National Forest had other US Forest Service Civilian Conservation Corps camps: Ryan Park, Forest—at Pole Mountain, Chimney Park, Centennial Work Center, Arlington, Encampment, and French Creek. The worker first lived in tents and them built their own housing. The camp was made up of young unmarried men from the East Coast of the United States. The camp planted tree, build roads, trails, campgrounds, and US Forest ranger stations. The camp built the Esterbrook fire lookout.[3] When needed the camp also worked as firefighters. Many of the Esterbrook CCC Camp projects are still in use today.[4]

Prisoner of war camp

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During World War 2, starting in spring 1944 German prisoners were housed at Camp Esterbrook. Camp Esterbrook prisoners of war were used for timber operations. Prisoner of war labor worked for civilian employers under the military officials and the Department of Agriculture's Extension Service. The camp worked six days a week, with Sunday off. The POW Labor Program benefited the US as there was shortage of labor during the war. About 75 POWs lived at the camp, with about 7 Army guards. Most POWs came from Camp Douglas (Wyoming). The local logging companies paid the prisoner labor, now lumberjacks, the same as local civilians. The POWs cut timber for railroad ties`. Evidence can still be found of the camp, including building foundations, wells and latrine pits.[1] At the end of the war the camp closed in January 1946. At first the camp held Italian POWs. In April 1944 the Italians POWs were moved out. German POWs moved in.[1][5] In April 1944 the Italians were able to volunteer for Italian Service Units, this was non-combat duty in special service units of the United States Army. To join the Italian Service Unit, each Italians volunteer could sign a pledge to perform any non-combat duty to help the United States against the now common enemy, Nazi Germany.[6][7]

During World War II, two large POW base camps, (Camp Douglas and Fort Francis E. Warren), and seventeen smaller camps that did agricultural and timber work were located in Wyoming. Other smaller camps in Wyoming were: Basin, Wyoming (sugar beet harvest), Clearmont (sugar beet harvest), Deaver (sugar beet harvest), Dubois (timber camp), Esterbrook (timber camp), Huntley (sugar beet harvest), Lingle (agriculture), Lovell (remodeling the Lovell Armory and Cavalry Barn, and then sugar beet harvest), Pine Bluffs (sugar beet and potato harvest), Powell (sugar beet harvest), Riverton (sugar beet harvest), Torrington (agriculture), Veteran (agriculture), Wheatland (agriculture), Ryan Park Camp (timber), Centennial POW Camp (timber) and Worland (agriculture).[8]

See also

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Laramie Peak.

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Nineteen Camps: World War II POWs in Wyoming | WyoHistory.org". www.wyohistory.org.
  2. ^ kbrown@gillettenewsrecord.net, KATHY BROWN News Record Senior Writer (April 18, 2019). "Wyoming had 19 POW camps in World War II". Gillette News Record.
  3. ^ "Esterbrook Fire Lookout Tower". www.firelookout.com.
  4. ^ https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5172968.pdf 100 YEARS OF CONSERVATION AND PUBLIC SERVICE, ON THE MEDICINE BOW "The Civilian Conservation Corp"
  5. ^ Sun, The Saratoga. "Behind the barbed wire". The Saratoga Sun.
  6. ^ "Italian POWs worked on RIA during World War II". www.army.mil. April 14, 2022.
  7. ^ JOURNAL OF GERMAN- AMERICAN STUDIES, VOL. 14, NO . 2 , 1979
  8. ^ "Wyoming Places - Branch Camps". places.wyo.gov.


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