South Scottsdale in Maricopa County, Arizona — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Papago Escape Tunnel

World War II Prisoner of War Escape Tunnel

— December 23, 1944 —

Papago Escape Tunnel Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Baker

1. Papago Escape Tunnel Marker

Inscription.
German POWs dug a tunnel 3' in diameter and 178' long from the Papago Camp to this very spot.

The escape was inspired by a map that showed the Salt River flowing through The Valley. The POWs planned to follow the canal to the Salt, then raft down the river to Mexico.

25 men crawled through the tunnel and emerged here on the banks of the Cross Cut Canal.

When the escapees arrived at the river all they found was a bed of rocks. Cold, hungry and dejected, the men scattered and began turning themselves in. The last prisoner was re-captured in Phoenix one month after the escape.

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

Location. 33° 28.474′ N, 111° 56.364′ W. Marker is in Scottsdale, Arizona, in Maricopa County. It is in South Scottsdale. It is on Crosscut Canal Bike Path, 0.1 miles north of Oak Street. Walk two blocks north along the bike path from Oak Street east of 66th Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Scottsdale AZ 85257, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert,

in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area,

and in the Tohono O’odham Nation.

It is also in the American Southwest.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the Gadsden Purchase,

and Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 10 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: How I Came to be Here (approx. ¾ mile away); Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church (approx. 1½ miles away); Farmers State Bank (approx. 1½

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miles away); 1921 - Sterling Drug Store (approx. 1½ miles away); 1929 - U.S. Post Office (approx. 1.6 miles away); Scottsdale Grammar School / The Little Red Schoolhouse (approx. 1.6 miles away); Winfield Scott Memorial (approx. 1.6 miles away); George W. P. Hunt / Arizona's First Governor (approx. 1.6 miles away); Herbert "Herb" R. Drinkwater (approx. 1.6 miles away); The Chaplain (approx. 1.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Scottsdale.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Papago Park Prisoner of War Camp (was approx. half a mile away but has been confirmed missing).

Regarding Papago Escape Tunnel. Camp Papago Park was a World War II prisoner of war facility located in Papago Park in the eastern part of Phoenix, Arizona. The property now is divided between the Papago Park Military Reservation of the Arizona National Guard, a city park, and residential neighborhoods. The camp was called Schlaraffenland — the land of milk and honey — by its mostly U-boat-crew inmates.
In December 1944, twenty-five POWs escaped from Camp Papago

Photographed by Craig Baker

2. Papago Escape Tunnel Marker

The marker lays flat next to the bike path, facing the canal.

Park into the surrounding desert. Originally thought to be impossible to tunnel through, the hard clay of the surrounding area turned out to be conducive to tunneling as it softened greatly when wet. Over time, the escapees dug a tunnel 176 feet long and three feet high, without being detected. A few of the men brought along boards they intended to fashion into a raft. This would then be used to float down the Salt River to the Gila River, which they had seen on local maps. Unfortunately for their plan, the river was not flowing at the time of their escape, and what they found was a dry arroyo instead.

This was the greatest escape by Axis prisoners from a U.S. compound during World War II.

Marker Location — Canal and Bike Path image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Baker

3. Marker Location — Canal and Bike Path

WWII Guard Tower Footings image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Baker

4. WWII Guard Tower Footings

Near Papago Park, ½ mile west of the marker.

Tunnel Entrance - 1944 image. Click for full size.

from Wikimedia Commons

5. Tunnel Entrance - 1944

Photographed by Bill Kirchner, August 29, 2015

6. Elks Lodge

At 6398 E Oak St, this is the only building remaining from the POW camp. It was the U.S. Army Officer's Club.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 29, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 23, 2026, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. This page has been viewed 37 times since then. Photos: 1. submitted on May 23, 2026, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on May 24, 2026, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 6. submitted on August 31, 2015, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona.