"We Didn't Have Rosie the Riveters"

 Women at the Sioux Ordnance Depot

Introduction

In the early years of the Sioux Ordnance Depot's history, the Personnel Division looked for men to fill the open defense positions. At the time, the government believed that there would be enough men to keep the war effort going. However, as the war went on, this was not the case.

Arrival at the Depot

Women who worked at ordnance depots and plants during World War II became known as "women ordnance workers" or "WOWs." The first WOWs hired at the Depot arrived during the construction phase in 1942. 

Women were highly valued because they helped the Depot meet is personnel requirements. At first, they filled the customarily feminine roles of stenographers and secretaries in the Depot's headquarter offices. 

A woman ordnance worker stands next to an ammunition shell. There are six hats and head coverings on the right-hand side of the poster depicting the military service women can do. The first one is a red bandana captioned, “WOW.” Then, a female Army cover captioned, “WAAC.” Below that is a female Navy cover captioned, “WAVE.” The next is a female Army Nurse cover, followed by a female Navy Nurse cover. The last hat is a Red Cross cover.
World War II poster by Adolph Treidler, 1942. Courtesy of the Cleveland Public Library. [1]
Three female employees sit at desks writing on paper.
Three female clerk typists working in the Depot's Post Property Section, 1944. Cheyenne County Historical Society, Sioux Army Depot Collection. 

Kathleen Edwards started working at the Depot as a secretary when she was only seventeen years old. Listen to her story below. 

Edwards_Secretary Interview.mp3

Click here to view a transcript of the audio clip

Although they often worked in offices, as the war went on, women began filling more non-traditional jobs. By the fall of 1942, Commanding Officer Harold J. Preble issued a memorandum authorizing the Personnel Division to hire female workers. The two memorandums below show the jobs Preble said women could hold in October 1942. 

1942_SOD Memo_Women.pdf
The Depot's Commanding Officer, Preble, issued memorandums in October 1942 that authorized the employment of women at the Depot. Courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration - Central Plains Region (Kansas City). [2]

Not long after this order with traditionally feminine jobs, women started holding more non-traditional roles. In November 1942, the first women were hired as crate assemblers, an important role needed for the packaging and shipping of ammunition. Later in December of 1942, the first female guards started working at the Depot. Women came to hold many other traditionally masculine roles, such as those of truck drivers, ammunition handlers, and forklift operators. 

Photographs from Cheyenne County Historical Society, Sioux Army Depot Collection.

Women not only took on traditionally masculine roles at the Depot, but they also excelled at them. During a recruiting visit with local Sidney organizations, the head of the Personnel Division, George Figner, said that women were even better than men in some of their jobs.[3]

Kathleen Edwards remembered a woman named Mrs. Niekum as being exceptionally talented at driving a forklift. She shares this memory in the clip below. 

Edwards_Mrs Niekum Interview.mp3

Click here to view a transcript of the audio clip

Two women stand by a wooden ammunition box sitting on a conveyor belt. The woman facing the camera is looking down at the box. With her gloved hands, she holds the handle of the machine on top of the ammo box. The other woman wears a bandana over her hair and has her back to the camera.
Women binding ammunition boxes. Cheyenne County Historical Society, Sioux Army Depot Collection. 

Motivations & Repercussions

While the Depot's leadership saw WOWs as highly-valued employees, the women also valued the Depot. Recruiters marketed working at the Depot as an act of patriotism. They said that women taking jobs outside of the home were doing their patriotic duty and helping to release men for more important work, like military service. 

Instead of viewing employment at the Depot as an act of patriotism, some women saw it as simply helping where they saw a need. Gertie Williamson-Anderson worked at the Depot during World War II. She shares her memory of what motivated her to do so in this audio clip below from the 1992 Reunion. 

Williamson-Anderson_1992Clip.mp3

Click here to view a transcript of the audio clip

However, most women found employment at the Depot because of their desire to earn an income. The Depot, like other military installations, paid very well for the time.  Annie Takamatsu wrote how much she was paid in the diary she kept during her employment at the Depot. In the entry below, she says, "Got paycheck $50.78 for 10 days 15.5 hours overtime."

A diary entry page filled with overlapping text. The section highlighted by the author reads, “Got paycheck $50.78 for 10 days 15 ½ hours over time.”
Annie Takamatsu's diary entry on June 9, 1945. Image courtesy of Sharon Barlett. 

But the good pay at defense industries like the Depot contributed to societal problems and labor shortages in other fields. For example, Nebraska experienced a teacher shortage during World War II. 

Women working in defense industries, especially in traditionally masculine roles, caused other concerns in communities. Because of how many changes World War II brought, not everyone accepted the idea of women working in traditionally masculine roles. 

These feelings became more visible in discussions about cases of juvenile delinquency. Cheyenne County did not experience as many issues with juvenile delinquency as other communities during the War, but leaders in the area recognized the potential for them. Some community leaders even blamed the Depot for employing women and leaving children to fend for themselves.

By raising these concerns, the community risked discouraging women from applying for jobs at places like the Depot. However, community leaders knew that women played a vital role at the Depot. They did not want to discourage them from applying for jobs at a time when the entire nation faced a labor shortage. To help combat the potential for juvenile delinquency, members of the community helped to find recreational opportunities for youth. 

ewspaper clipping with headline reading, “Officials to Curb Out Crop Juvenile Trouble.” The subheadings read, “Set Out Four Point Program, One Youth Already Called in Juvenile Court for Delinquency, Has Been Serious Problem Elsewhere.”
"Officials to Curb Out Crop Juvenile Trouble," Telegraph, February 18, 1943.
Newspaper clipping with headline reading, “Kids Problem Being Studied.”
"'Kids' Problem Being Studied," Telegraph, March 25, 1943.

Impact of Employment

Women were highly-valued employees because the Depot continued to employ them even in the post-war era. The contributions of women at the Depot during World War II left a lasting impression on their lives and those who worked on them. As the war ended, employers across the country began letting their female employees go. By this point, men had returned from war, and they were still employers' first choice for hires. 

Some women left employment at the Depot to chase other life goals. After working at the Depot, several WOWs went on to pursue post-secondary education. Other women quit working at the Depot to get married, have children, and take care of their families. In fact, many women met their future spouses while at the Depot.

A man and a woman stand next to each other.
Elberta and LeRoy Virgil married after meeting at the Depot where LeRoy worked. Image courtesy of Elberta Virgil. 
A bride and groom look at each other on their wedding day.
Vince and Marge Schmitt also married after meeting at the Depot. Image courtesy of Wayne Schmitt.
A bride and groom pose with their wedding party on their wedding day.
Joe and Rose Behm both worked at the Depot and married shortly after meeting. Image courtesy of Debra Genova.

However, not all of the Depot's WOWs left employment. Some ended up staying to work at the Depot for many more years! Their continued employment led to the employment of other women later in the Depot's history. Like those who served during World War II, these women contributed to the demilitarization and militarization processes, helped with the war effort for the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and even met their future spouses while employed. 

Conclusion

Women were one of the highly-valued groups of employees at the Sioux Ordnance Depot during World War II. Whether out of a sense of patriotic duty, a desire to serve, or a need to support their families, the WOWs contributed significant labor and support to help the Depot meet its required quotas. 

Although women filled many roles at the Depot, there were not enough of them. This led the Depot's Personnel Division to look for even more potential employees. 

Visit the Fort Sidney Museum and Post Commander's Home to view the Sioux Army Depot exhibit and learn more about this history! 

Endnotes

[1] She’s a WOW: Woman Ordnance Worker, Adolph Treidler, 1942, Poster Collection, Cleveland Public Library Photograph Collection, Cleveland Public Library Digital Gallery, Cleveland Public Library, https://cplorg.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16014coll14/id/3415/.


[2] Depot Memorandum No. 16, Army Service Forces, Sioux Ordnance Depot, Sidney, Nebraska, October 20, 1942, SOD Memorandums 1942, Series 2, Memorandums 1942-1949, Ordnance Depots, Sioux Ordnance Depot (Sidney, NE), Records of the Office of the Chief of Ordnance, Record Group 156, National Archives and Records Administration–Central Plains Region (Kansas City); Depot Memorandum No. 17, Army Service Forces, Sioux Ordnance Depot, Sidney, Nebraska, October 21, 1942, SOD Memorandums 1942, Series 2, Memorandums 1942-1949, Ordnance Depots, Sioux Ordnance Depot (Sidney, NE), Records of the Office of the Chief of Ordnance, Record Group 156, National Archives and Records Administration–Central Plains Region (Kansas City).


[3] “Capt. Figner Rotary Speaker Last Friday,” Telegraph, August 26, 1943.


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

Author: Tatiana Moore Painter, UNK Graduate Student