Most People In Colorado Don’t Know About Our Old German POW Camp

Colorado is chock full of history - from our state's most historic battlegrounds to our museums, indigenous remnants, and everything in between. When it comes to our parents and grandparents, one of the most trying times in our country's history was WWII, which affected both those fighting on the front lines and those waiting back home. While WWII seems like it took place millions of years ago and on a different planet, much of it was happening in our own backyard, thanks to this little-known German prisoner-of-war camp in Colorado. Camp Trinidad has a unique, albeit dark, history. Here are the details:

Though the majority of WWII was taking place overseas, there was still plenty happening back on American soil, with 175 Branch Camps and 511 Area Camps spanning the country (and housing some 425,000 prisoners of war), four of which - Camp Hale, Camp Carson, Greeley, and Trinidad - were located right here in Colorado.

At one time (1943-1946), there were 48 POW camps in Colorado.

While all of these camps were considered vital, the largest and most well-known of the primary 4 was the Trinidad Internment Camp (or Camp Trinidad), which housed more than 3,000 German POWs.

Unlike other POW camps, Camp Trinidad housed some 2,000 German commanders and officers, many of whom were highly regarded counts, barons, doctors, lawyers, and professors, and were all considered to be enthusiastic Nazis or Nazi sympathizers.

Opened from 1943 to 1946, Camp Trinidad spanned more than 700 acres and contained not only wooden barracks but 10 guard towers, an on-site hospital, stable, post office, theater, blacksmith shop, and its own separate sewage and water supply systems.

In addition to all of the above, the prisoners were able to take college courses and are even credited with introducing soccer to the area.

After the war ended, the German prisoners who lived in this POW city of sorts were returned to Germany, with reunions for the German prisoners held at Camp Trinidad until 1995.

When you visit this historic place in Colorado today, you will find that the city-like prison is all but demolished, as most of the buildings were stripped and sold for scrap, leaving not much else other than historical accounts.

Regardless of the dark history of Camp Trinidad, the area is lovely and worth exploring even beyond this historic landmark. Camping by the lake here is a must!

Did anyone in your family serve in WWII? We would love to hear about it in the comments.

For more historic peeks into Colorado history, check out this rare footage from the 1940s.