Camp Pine (Illinois)
| Company type | Government facility |
|---|---|
| Industry | Civilian Conservation Corps, agricultural labor housing, prisoner of war camp |
| Founded | 1934-08-16 |
| Defunct | 1946 |
| Headquarters | Des Plaines , United States |
Camp Pine was originally a Civilian Conservation Corps facility located in Des Plaines, Illinois, just north of Chicago. During the Second World War, the United States Department of Agriculture leased the site to accommodate civilian agricultural laborers between 1943 and 1944. Subsequently, from 1945 until 1946, the camp housed German POWs. This location is situated within the boundaries of the Camp Pine Woods forest preserve.
Civilian Conservation Corps
The camp was established on August 16, 1934, along the Des Plaines River at Dam No. 2, on land managed by the Cook County Forest Preserve District north of Des Plaines. Initially known as Camp Des Plaines or Dam No. 2 Camp, it served as a Civilian Conservation Corps site dedicated to improving local forest preserves through building parking lots, shelters, trails, and other amenities. The camp ceased operations by 1942.
Department of Agriculture
In June 1943, the Cook County Forest Preserve District leased this now-vacant CCC camp to the Extension Service under the United States Department of Agriculture. The facility provided housing for civilian farm workers brought in from the British West Indies alongside teenage participants from the Victory Farm Volunteers program. These groups supported farmers in northern Cook County, who were experiencing labor shortages. Occupancy at the camp was intermittent and continued until late 1944.
A significant social initiative took place at this location through a partnership involving Chicago Jewish organizations such as B'nai B'rith, Aleph Zadik Aleph, and the Chicago Board of Education. Operating under the name Camp Avodah during the summers of 1943 and 1944, it functioned as a youth camp for Jewish boys from Chicago who were also employed as paid workers in food production through the Victory Farm Volunteers program.
Prisoners of war
In April 1945, a group of 81 German POWs transferred from Fort Sheridan arrived at what was then called Camp Pine. The camp remained active until March 1946 and these prisoners contributed labor to nearby farms and small enterprises throughout their internment period.