Camp Ellis

Ted's nephew gave me a book last year on Camp Ellis. I had wanted one of these books when they were first published and met the lady that put it together one time.   Her name was Marjorie Bordner and she lived in Canton, Illinois.

This is the camp that was built during WWII.  It was to house our soldiers that were in training and also some German prisoners.

The government did an aerial survey of Illinois and decided Fulton County was the perfect spot for this camp.   It started out being called the Lewistown Camp but then later was named for a General, I believe.

They came in, told the people they were buying their farms (whether you wanted to sell or not) and you had to find another place - QUICKLY.   They took my mother's and father's home places outside of Table Grove.   

In just a matter of months they built roads out of corn fields,  barricks were built, a hospital, a school, restaurants, garages.   It was really a city they built and ranges were set up for all kinds of training too.   There are still some of the target ranges and cilos visible if you drive down in there.   The steps that went from the road up to my Grandmother Rasmussen's house were still on that hillside after I was married.

As a young child I had no idea any of this was going on not 40 miles from where we lived.   At the time it was being built we lived at Fiat, Illinois.   A "quick, don't blink" little town about seven miles outside of Canton.   Dad was a farmer and mom a housewife.

I remember going with mother and dad one time to Temple Cemetary west of Table Grove where dad's parents and a couple of other relatives were buried.   Some German soldiers were cleaning it and I was really scared.   All I had heard was how bad the Germans were.

Dad was talking to one of the young men and I remember thinking he sure had white whiskers.   He was really just a boy and this upset my dad a lot.   Going home he told mom, "He wasn't even old enough to shave".

Ted's mother taught school out there.   We don't know for sure but we think she taught our soldiers how to read and write.

Merle's wife, Frances, worked out there too.   She worked in a soda shop and there had been a rape so everyone was kind of on edge.   She had to close the shop one night and a big black man came in and ordered a milk shake.   He stayed while she cleaned up and she finally told him she had to close up.   He said, "yes, I know.  I've come to walk you to your car", which he did and he was there every night after that to walk her to her car when she closed up.

There will be more stories too as I read the book.   Ted may have more information too.   It just seems unbeliveable all this could of been going on so close to our home area and I didn't know anything about it.