Camp Alto, World War II Prisoner of War Camp

The U.S. Army built stateside camps by early 1942 to house prisoners of war (POWs). Camp Alto south of this site was a small branch operation of the Camp Fannin base facility in Tyler. The military set up branch camps to address local labor needs brought about by wartime shortages. With approximately 100 German POWs living in tents, Camp Alto began operating in the fall of 1944. The majority of POWs cut pulpwood for the East Texas ice storm salvage project. With the end of the war imminent, branch camps sent POWs to larger base camps as a step toward eventual repatriation. Its mission accomplished, Camp Alto closed in the spring of 1945 under direction of the War Assets Administration. Texas in World War II - 2006

Camp Alto, World War II Prisoner of War Camp is a historical marker in Alto, Cherokee County, dedicated in 2006. It is one of 112 historical markers documented in Cherokee County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 245 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 31.6484, -95.0840 near Alto. The nearest cataloged historic site is Alto City (cemetery), about 0.6 miles away. Others within a short drive include Smith, Frank A., United Methodist Church, Mitchell, Robert F., and Hill, Stella Salmon.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5507013703. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.