Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
You could probably take some of that stuff out.
Dear Atlas: How Do I Pack Light for a Long Trip?
Ripples in the land are remnants of the field walls that once held rows of native sugarcane and sweet potatoes.
Unearthing the Mysteries of Hawai'i's Ancient Agriculture
Petrified Forest National Park.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States New Mexico Roswell POW Iron Cross

POW Iron Cross

The symbol was surreptitiously built into the river bank by German prisoners of war.

Roswell, New Mexico

Added By
drossb
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
The Iron Cross.   drossb / Atlas Obscura User
Closeup of the cross.   Juliana Halvorson
Viewing platform.   Map Data © 2018 Google
The Wall   createandcapturelife / Atlas Obscura User
The Plaque   createandcapturelife / Atlas Obscura User
  GREG MEYER md / Atlas Obscura User
Plaque on the fence   cammy66 / Atlas Obscura User
  GREG MEYER md / Atlas Obscura User
Berlin Wall Piece in front of Iron Cross  
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Roswell, New Mexico, may be forever linked with a history of strange UFO sightings, but there are other, more terrestrial oddities to be found in the town. For instance, the nearly forgotten Iron Cross symbol along the river bank created by German prisoners of war.

During World War II, about 4,800 German prisoners were held in a POW camp just outside of Roswell. Orchard Park, officially known as the Roswell POW Internment Camp, opened on November 26, 1942, with about 250 prisoners.

While the majority of prisoners labored on farms, a group of men worked in the city on a flood control project in town, paving the banks of the Spring River with stone. As construction progressed along the north river bank, a group of prisoners arranged rocks of different sizes to form the outline of the Iron Cross, a military decoration of the German Empire that was reintroduced by the Nazi Army with a swastika added to the center.

Upon discovering the symbol, many Roswell citizens were incensed by the brazen act and subsequently covered the offending image with cement. However, after many years of erosion, the cross reemerged and can be seen once again.

The site has been turned into a memorial to prisoners of war and MIA soldiers everywhere. Known for a time as Iron Cross Park, it was renamed POW/MIA Park in the 1990s. It currently has a viewing platform for the now fully exposed stone cross.

Related Tags

World War Ii Prisons War History Nazis Rocks Memorials Geology Military

Know Before You Go

The park is named MIA-POW Park, if you’re searching Google Maps.

Community Contributors

Added By

drossb

Edited By

erjeffery, bradleygard, mikewalker, Meg...

  • erjeffery
  • bradleygard
  • mikewalker
  • Meg
  • GREG MEYER md
  • cammy66
  • createandcapturelife

Published

March 8, 2018

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.truthseekeratroswell.com/more-unknown-history-of-roswell.html
  • https://www.rdrnews.com/2018/06/03/the-legacy-of-the-german-pows/
POW Iron Cross
910 N Pennsylvania Ave
Roswell, New Mexico, 88201
United States
33.403546, -104.526451
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Roswell McDonald's

Roswell, New Mexico

miles away

Miniatures & Curious Collections Museum

Roswell, New Mexico

miles away

Roswell UFO Spacewalk

Roswell, New Mexico

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Roswell

Roswell

New Mexico

Places 6

Nearby Places

Roswell McDonald's

Roswell, New Mexico

miles away

Miniatures & Curious Collections Museum

Roswell, New Mexico

miles away

Roswell UFO Spacewalk

Roswell, New Mexico

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Roswell

Roswell

New Mexico

Places 6

Related Places

  • Memorial cross near the soldiers’ graves.

    Kristiansand, Norway

    Executed Russian POWs' Memorial Graves

    Five soviet prisoners of war were executed at this spot just days before the liberation of Norway.

  • Main gates

    Natzwiller, France

    Natzweiler-Struthof

    Today this former Nazi concentration camp stands as a poignant memorial to the victims of fascism, and a warning from history.

  • Salaspils Memorial Ensemble.

    Salaspils, Latvia

    Salaspils Memorial Ensemble

    This former Nazi labor camp is now a poignant memorial, complete with giant Soviet-style monuments.

  • The bust of Violette Szabo.

    London, England

    S.O.E. Monument

    A bronze bust commemorates the heroism of the secret agents who led covert operations against the Nazis.

  • Balcony under the red star.

    Dolinka, Kazakhstan

    KarLag Memorial Museum

    A sober museum housed in the original administrative building of one of Stalin's largest gulags.

  • Colditz Castle

    Colditz, Germany

    Colditz Castle

    An officers prison camp believed to be impregnable by the Germans saw over 30 successful escapes.

  • The memorial.

    Athens, Greece

    Gestapo Interrogation Memorial

    The site where hundreds of Greeks were tortured by the Nazi secret police is now a cosmetics store.

  • Bullet holes in the church.

    Prague, Czechia

    The Heydrich Terror Memorial

    Bullet holes in the church wall are a reminder of the violence that followed the assassination of a high-ranking Nazi officer.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.