Clayton Nightlife & Des Moines Snow Days w/Richard and Rita

Kat talks to Richard and Rita, a married couple with roots in NE New Mexico whose lives took many turns.

Mentions: Clayton, Des Moines, Taos, Red River, ABQ, Clayton POW Camp, WWII, ABQ Green Book

Brief mention of Clayton "branch camp" for POWs here. Update from the Herzstein Museum : For about a year during WWII there was a tent compound of German POWs, this was approximately where the Clayton Motel is now heading west out of town. A bus driver, Lee R. Kear would pick up the prisoners and drive them to the fields around the Pennington Community, suspected to be Walter Ogle's farm and return to town with the students. In the afternoon they would reverse the pickup and drop off. These prisoners took their lunch with them, and Mrs. Ogle didn't have to feed them.

Another letter suggests that POWs were "farmed out" to replace the work force that had left for the war. The farmer would cover the cost of room and board. The rules were strict about how they would be treated, including humane accommodations, adequate food, and well defined working conditions and hours. This second suggests more of a case need than an actual camp. It's also suggested that most were uncomfortable discussing this after the fact. There could be more stories out there!

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