Rancho Cucamonga in San Bernardino County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Cucamonga Labor Camp

City of Rancho Cucamonga Historic Point of Interest

— 1944-1946 —

Cucamonga Labor Camp Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Baker, June 12, 2020

1. Cucamonga Labor Camp Marker

Inscription. Originally the site of a Great Depression-Era housing camp. This 15 acre area served as a low escape risk camp for Italian prisoners of war between 1944 and 1946. Under the direction of the U.S. Army and local farmers, close to 500 Italian POWs were sent to the camp and put to work harvesting nearby citrus groves and vineyards. Ironically, this farming routine, coupled with the presence of a large turn-of-the-century Italian population at Guasti, near present day Ontario International Airport, allowed the prisoners to feel quickly at home. Although the prisoners ultimately ended up at the main detention center at Camp Oro in North San Bernardino, some returned to the region after the war to continue the friendships and romances they had begun during their brief internment.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, World II. A significant historical year for this entry is 1944.

Location. 34° 5.98′ N, 117° 36.861′ W. Marker is in Rancho Cucamonga, California, in San Bernardino County. It is at the intersection of Highridge Place and Arrow Route, on the right when traveling north on Highridge Place. Located

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near the entrance to a gated community. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 8757 Sierra View Court, Rancho Cucamonga CA 91730, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Los Angeles,

in the Inland Empire,

in the Peninsular Ranges,

and specifically in the Transverse Ranges.

It is also in the American Southwest.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: 1977 (approx. half a mile away); 1887 (approx. half a mile away); a different marker also named Cucamonga Labor Camp (approx. half a mile away); 1881 (approx. half a mile away); 1870s (approx. half a mile away); 1880s (approx. half a mile away); 1864 (approx. half a mile away); 1858 (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Rancho Cucamonga.

More about this marker. An identical marker is

Photographed by Craig Baker, June 12, 2020

2. Cucamonga Labor Camp Marker

located at the north end of this residential complex, on Foothill Boulevard.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 17, 2020. It was originally submitted on June 13, 2020, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. This page has been viewed 1,157 times since then and 63 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 13, 2020, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.