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The Tenth Mountain Division Living History Group uses original artifacts where possible to recreate a World War II camp or field environment. A large part of that mission is in jeopardy following an April 13 theft of its larger items. / Courtesy of TMDLHG
Members of the public attend an open house in Colorado put on by the Tenth Mountain Division Living History Group. Many of the items in the photo were part of the April 13 theft. / Courtesy of TMDLHG
The Tenth Mountain Division Living History Group is a confederation of many individuals, all of whom have an interest in history. Members use period artifacts to help tell the story of the division. Here, some members in period clothing pause at Camp Hale. Courtesy of TMDLHG
The theft of the trailer on Logan Street in Englewood, Colorado, on April 13 was captured on a neighbor’s security system. Englewood Police/CBS Colorado
The Tenth Mountain Division Living History Group uses original artifacts where possible to recreate a World War II camp or field environment. A large part of that mission is in jeopardy following an April 13 theft of its larger items. / Courtesy of TMDLHG
The Tenth Mountain Division Living History Group is a confederation of many individuals, all of whom have an interest in history. Members use period artifacts to help tell the story of the division. Here, some members in period clothing pause at Camp Hale. Courtesy of TMDLHG
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — A historic collection important in telling the story of Fort Drum was stolen in the state where the division has its roots.
The 10th Light Division (Alpine) was constituted on July 10, 1943, and activated that July 15 at Camp Hale, Colorado. Keeping that legacy alive is the nonprofit Tenth Mountain Division Living History Display Group. Where possible, it uses original artifacts to recreate a World War II camp or field environment where members take part in tasks that the soldiers did in training or in combat.
The theft of the trailer on Logan Street in Englewood, Colorado, on April 13 was captured on a neighbor’s security system. Englewood Police/CBS Colorado
On April 13, a 14-foot enclosed cargo trailer full of 10th Mountain Division historical items was stolen from a residence on Logan Street, Englewood, where it was parked.
“It was stuffed full of what we refer to in the museum industry as macro artifacts — the larger things,” David J. Little, president of the Tenth Mountain Living History Group and historian for the Tenth Mountain Division Foundation, said in a phone interview on Friday.
Included in the theft: camouflage netting, tents, tables, chairs and a field kitchen the organization set up to feed its volunteers.
“It’s all of those things when you envision a military camp — things in the background you’d hardly notice in person, but they are there and they help set the stage,” Little said. “We spent 40 years putting this exhibit together.”
For the past 15 years, the trailer, when items inside it were not exhibited, had been parked at a private residence, Little said.
“Unfortunately, that gentleman sold the residence so we needed to find a new home,” he said. “It was temporarily parked in front of one of our members’ houses because he was doing repairs on the field kitchen. It had been there all of about three days. Somebody came by at about 1 in the morning, cut the locks, hooked up the trailer and they were gone in less than five minutes.”
There were no markings on the trailer linking it to the Tenth Mountain Division Living History Display Group.
“The police suspect that the thieves were looking to steal a construction trailer of contractors’ equipment,” Little said. “Popping it open, they probably were expecting to find saws and the sorts of tools they could pawn quickly. What they got was a pile of smelly green canvass, old heavy wooden tables and things they probably didn’t want.”
Little still has some hope that the items will be returned. “But unfortunately, the police detectives indicate that these sort of things probably ended up in a construction dumpster or landfill and they’re gone.”
Little said police sought a monetary value on the theft. The nonprofit put the trailer’s worth at $5,000 to $6,000 and the stolen items at $20,000-$25,000.
“No amount of money will replace the historical side of it,” Little said. “And also the cultural loss and loss to the community. The historic loss is far more significant. We lost artifacts that originally came out of Camp Hale.”
Members of the public attend an open house in Colorado put on by the Tenth Mountain Division Living History Group. Many of the items in the photo were part of the April 13 theft. / Courtesy of TMDLHG
The Camp Hale facility was constructed in 1942 for the 10th Mountain Division. Soldiers from Fort Drum regularly train in Colorado. Every year on Presidents Day weekend, Vail Legacy Days honor the legacy of the 10th Mountain Division.
According to an Army news release, Legacy Days marks the anniversary of the Battle of Riva Ridge on the night of Feb. 18-19, 1945, during World War II. Members of the 86th Regiment of the 10th Mountain Division conducted a surprise attack on the Germans and were able to break through the Nazi Gothic Line, which became a turning point during the war.
The Army reactivated the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum in 1985. Little has visited the post often as a speaker. He said the Tenth Mountain Division Living History Display Group has chapters across the country, and a plan is in the works to have one based in the north country. “We’re working on getting it organized,” he said. “I have a gentleman in New York City who is an attorney. He’ll be representing us at Mountainfest this year.”
This year’s Mountainfest is June 20. The annual event, a salute to Fort Drum, is free and open to the public and features military equipment displays, children’s games, food and beverages.
Little said it’s important to keep the legacy of the 10th Mountain Division alive.
“Eighty years ago, what the 10th Mountain soldiers did was unique to the U.S. military,” he said. “We had never done mountains troops/winter warfare per se. After the war, these soldiers came back, not only to Colorado, but to mountain ski areas all across the country and helped expand the outdoor recreation industry. When the division was stood back up in 1985, though they were mountain troops in name only, they had a tremendous legacy from these World War II guys. These modern soldiers are every bit as ferocious in their accomplishment of their mission as those World War II soldiers were. One of the changes in the Army for the 10th Mountain Division is that they’re returning to their roots of mountain and winter warfare.”
The Tenth Mountain Division Living History Display Group retains smaller artifacts that were not in the stolen trailer. But the recent theft will impact this group’s ability to service large groups and gatherings.
A GoFundMe account has been set up by the nonprofit to help preserve the division’s heritage. It can be found at wdt.me/10thhistory.
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