During World War II, 25 German prisoners of war escaped from an American facility during an event known at the Great Papago Escape. The prisoners dug a tunnel from Camp Papago Park to a canal that leads to the Salt River. They built a raft, but discovered upon reaching the river that it was nearly devoid of water. They fled to the surrounding desert, some of them making it within miles of the Mexican border. All of them were caught within a month of their escape.

The exit of the tunnel is memorialized today with a marker, that’s largely ignored by the many bicyclists and joggers who use the path.