"Help Wanted"

Introduction

Like most defense industries and military installations during World War II, the Sioux Ordnance Depot looked for men to fill the new job openings. However, with a population of only 9,505 in Cheyenne County, there were not enough men to be found. The newspaper clippings below show just a few of the "help wanted" advertisements the Depot's Personnel Division used. 

Eventually,  the Personnel Division found that they needed to expand their recruitment search to include not just men but also women. 

However, the Depot still had many job openings, so the Commanding Officer Harold J. Preble started negotiating deals with other government facilities and military installations. 

He first made an arrangement with the Fort F.E. Warren Base in Wyoming to bring soldiers from the Quartermaster Training Companies, many of whom were African American, to the Depot for weekly training in ammunition handling. 

Then, the Depot received prisoners of war (POWs) from the nearby Scottsbluff POW camp. The Italian and German POWs contributed to the work at the Depot and greatly helped the Depot's operations.

But when Preble received word that the soldiers from Fort Warren would no longer be able to come to the Depot, he needed to find another source of workers. 

Washington D.C. recommended that the Depot hire Japanese Americans from the West Coast who had been incarcerated in the interior United States. They worked in all sorts of jobs at the Depot and helped to fill many of the open positions. 

While Preble was looking for more employees, he issued a memorandum that said the personnel division would hire individuals with physical disabilities. 

An older gentleman wears military uniform and stands in front of the steps of a building. The image is black and white.
Harold J. Preble, the Sioux Ordnance Depot's first commanding officer, 1942-1946. Cheyenne County Historical Society, Sioux Army Depot Collection.
The words, “Sioux Ordnance Depot, Sidney, Nebraska,” adorn a brick wall with two brick columns on either side. The column on the right has the ordnance symbol, which looks like a ball with a flame coming out of the top of it. The image is black and white.
Sioux Ordnance Depot gate entrance, c. 1945. Image courtesy of Sharon Bartlett.

These laborers were placed in jobs best suited to their abilities and also became highly-valued employees at the Depot.

By the end of World War II, this diverse body of employees became "highly-valued" workers at the Depot.[1] Their stories show the national importance of the Depot during the war, while also demonstrating the significant contributions each of the employees made. 

Because of these highly-valued World War II employees, the Depot stayed open for twenty-five years and hired many other historically underrepresented groups in the post-war years. 

Black and white image of buildings and roads on the Depot property.
Aerial view of the Sioux Ordnance Depot. Cheyenne County Historical Society, Sioux Army Depot Collection. 
Eleven workers surround a large igloo-looking structure. There are wooden frames around the igloo and a piece of heavy equipment in the background. The image is black and white.
Construction workers building an ammunition storage igloo, c. 1942. Cheyenne County Historical Society, Sioux Army Depot Collection.
A group of fifteen men posing in two rows for a picture. The Commanding Officer is in the center of the group. The photo is in black and white.
Employees of the Ammunition Maintenance Branch with Commanding Officer George C. Abert, 1958. Cheyenne County Historical Society, Sioux Army Depot Collection. 

Endnotes

[1] Larry L. Mahlman, "History of Sioux Army Depot: Sioux Army Depot, Sidney, Nebraska, 1942-1967," December 1966, Sioux Army Depot Collection, Cheyenne County Historical Society, Fort Sidney Museum, Sidney, Nebraska, 28. 

Published: January 15, 2025 Last Updated: January 15, 2025

Author: Tatiana Moore Painter, UNK Graduate Student