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
Photographed by Levi Gonzalez, June 20, 2020
1. Cucamonga Labor Camp Marker
Inscription.
Cucamonga Labor Camp. City of Rancho Cucamonga Historic Point of Interest. 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.
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.
Location. 34° 6.37′ N, 117° 36.913′ W. Marker is in Rancho Cucamonga, California, in San Bernardino County. It can be reached from the intersection of Foothill Boulevard (U.S. 66) and Highridge Place, on the right when traveling
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west. The marker is placed in front of a gated community, in a small visitor parking lot. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 8148 Highridge Place, 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 Mexicos Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: 1826 (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); 1839 (about 500 feet away); 1840s (about 500 feet away); 1858 (about 600 feet away); 1864 (about 700 feet away); 1880s (about 700 feet away); 1870s (about 700 feet away); 1881 (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Rancho Cucamonga.
More about this marker. Lays on the ground, not upright.
Photographed by Craig Baker, May 4, 2020
2. Cucamonga Labor Camp Marker
An identical marker is located at the south end of this residential complex, on Arrow Route.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 6, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 27, 2020. This page has been viewed 2,692 times since then and 168 times this year. Last updated on June 13, 2020, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. Photos:1. submitted on April 28, 2020, by Levi Gonzalez of Rancho Cucamonga, California. 2. submitted on May 8, 2020, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
