Sometimes historical records include a lot of useful information, such as the text written on the front of this photograph. We know that these are World War I draftees leaving Brown County, Minnesota for Camp Dodge on September 21, 1917. When historical records such as photographs are not marked with identifying information, historians conduct research to try and identify details that reveal the records' stories.

Brown County is where the city of New Ulm is located. In New Ulm and Brown County, a large percentage of the residents are of German heritage. During World War I, German Americans like those in New Ulm faced discrimination and fear from other Americans who worried that they might not be loyal to the United States.