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SALINA, Sevier County — At a time in his life when Dee Olsen should be taking it easy, he's about as busy as he's ever been.
"The beams on the top here is to keep the building from falling apart,” said Olsen, pointing to the ceiling inside an old building.
At 83 years old, he wasn’t sure he would ever renovate old buildings again, but he felt he had to renovate a couple of old wooden buildings in Salina.
"We're not proud of what happened here, but it's a fact. It happened,” said Olsen.
Olsen was only 13-years-old when in 1945 — two months after Germany surrendered in World War II — a U.S. Army soldier by the name of Clarence Bertucci started shooting people who were sleeping in tents in Salina.
Those people were German World War II prisoners who were in a POW camp was in Salina.
“It was very, very sad. The people here were very sad,” said Olsen.
Nine Germans died and several more were wounded.
It became the worst massacre at a POW camp in U.S. history. Then, it seemed as if history forgot about it.
“I think the reason people don’t know about it is because, No. 1, it's history. It happened a long time ago. It was in the 40s,” said Salina Mayor Dustin Deaton. “And another reason is because it was a negative story. It had a negative outcome. People weren’t happy about what happened here.”
However, Deaton thinks it would be a shame if the moment was forgotten: "We do want to make it a positive thing,” said Deaton.
Salina city leaders are hoping to turn the old buildings, which were also used as a Civilian Conservation Corps camp, into a museum.
“To preserve the history so it's not forgotten, so everybody has a chance to see it,” said Deaton.
I think the reason people don't know about it is because, No. 1, it's history. It happened a long time ago. It was in the 40s. And another reason is because it was a negative story. It had a negative outcome. People weren't happy about what happened here.
–Salina Mayor Dustin Deaton
City leaders tried applying for federal funding to recognize the spot as a National Historic Monument, but they were denied.
Instead, city leaders decided it was so important to Salina’s history that they’re going to try to fund it on their own.
“We’re hoping for donations; donated materials and labor,” said Deaton.
Deaton isn’t sure how much it will cost to renovate the buildings and turn it into a museum.
However, this past Saturday, Olsen held a volunteer clean-up where people helped throw out trash and other items to make the place look better.
That's where Olsen comes in.
He remembers when some of those Germans helped with sugar beets on his family's farm in nearby Axtell, Utah.
"I really don't know if any of the prisoners who were wounded or killed were those working on our farm," he said.
However, he says he does know this is an important project. His daughter is helping him to try to raise money using a Facebook page*.
The city of Salina is also asking for donations*.
“It’s such an intriguing historical story. When I first heard about it, I thought it was fake,” said Tami Clark, Olsen’s daughter. “It was a huge deal. It was such a devastating time.”
Now, Olsen and others are just hoping they can finish the project.
"I think it's very important, especially for our high school kids and history to really know what happened here and what a disaster it was for the community to have that experience,” said Olsen.
The city doesn’t have a timeline as to when the project will be finished. However, Olsen hopes it’s soon.
“I’d like to see it finished, and I tell the mayor we got to hurry because I don’t know when I will be finished,” said Olsen with a laugh.
Anybody wanting to help Salina with this project can contact the city by clicking here.
*KSL.com has not verified the accuracy of the information provided with respect to the account nor does KSL.com assure that the monies deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
