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Fort Missoula Internment Camp was an internment camp operated by the
The Italians, who referred to Fort Missoula as Camp "Bella Vista" (beautiful view), worked in area farms, fought forest fires and worked in other Missoula industries before being released in 1944"Bela Vista
/ref> Famed Italian actor
The Historical Museum of Fort Missoula
Presumed Guilty - ''Missoulian'' article
''Missoulian'' Interview with a former Internee
"Fort Missoula" - '' Densho: The Japanese American Legacy Project, Densho Encyclopedia'' article
Fort Missoula Alien Detention Camp Collection
(Montana Memory Project) {{coord, 46, 50, 34, N, 114, 03, 29, W, display=title World War II internment camps in the United States Internment camps for Japanese Americans Buildings and structures in Missoula County, Montana
Fort Missoula Internment Camp was an internment camp operated by the United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United Stat ...
during World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
. Japanese American
are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 census, they have declined in number to constitute the sixth largest Asi ...
s and Italian American
Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, w ...
s were imprisoned here during this war.
History
Fort Missoula
Fort Missoula was established by the United States Army in 1877 on land that is now part of the city of Missoula, Montana, to protect settlers in Western Montana from possible threats from the Native American Indians, such as the Nez Perce.
Beg ...
was established near Missoula
Missoula ( ; fla, label=Salish language, Séliš, Nłʔay, lit=Place of the Small Bull Trout, script=Latn; kut, Tuhuⱡnana, script=Latn) is a city in the U.S. state of Montana; it is the county seat of Missoula County, Montana, Missoula Cou ...
, Montana
Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...
as a permanent military post in 1877 in response to citizen concerns of conflict with local Native American tribes.
In 1941 Fort Missoula was turned over to the "Department of Immigration and Naturalization" for use as an Alien Detention Center for non-military Italian men.
Nearly 1100 Italian citizens were interned at Fort Missoula, including merchant seamen and World's Fair
A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specif ...
workers who were in the U.S. and could not be returned to Italy, as well as the crew of an Italian luxury liner seized in the Panama Canal
The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a condui ...
. In addition, more than 1,000 Japanese men and 23 German resident aliens were interned before being transferred to other facilities.
The Italians, who referred to Fort Missoula as Camp "Bella Vista" (beautiful view), worked in area farms, fought forest fires and worked in other Missoula industries before being released in 1944/ref> Famed Italian actor
Guido Trento
Guido Trento (June 21, 1892 – July 31, 1957) was an Italian stage and film actor.
Career
Trento appeared in over seventy films during his career, mainly in Italy during the silent era. In 1922 he appeared in Fox's Italian-shot historical epic ...
(1892–1957), also known as Guy Trent and best known for his 1928 film '' Street Angel'', was held at Fort Missoula and released in 1943 when Italy surrendered to the Allies. He later immigrated to the United States.
Notes
See also
*Fort Missoula
Fort Missoula was established by the United States Army in 1877 on land that is now part of the city of Missoula, Montana, to protect settlers in Western Montana from possible threats from the Native American Indians, such as the Nez Perce.
Beg ...
* Internment of Italian Americans
The internment of Italian Americans refers to the government's internment of Italian nationals in the United States during World War II. As was customary after Italy and the US were at war, they were classified as "enemy aliens" and some were de ...
* Internment of Japanese Americans
Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...
External links
The Historical Museum of Fort Missoula
Presumed Guilty - ''Missoulian'' article
''Missoulian'' Interview with a former Internee
"Fort Missoula" - '' Densho: The Japanese American Legacy Project, Densho Encyclopedia'' article
Fort Missoula Alien Detention Camp Collection
(Montana Memory Project) {{coord, 46, 50, 34, N, 114, 03, 29, W, display=title World War II internment camps in the United States Internment camps for Japanese Americans Buildings and structures in Missoula County, Montana
Missoula
Missoula ( ; fla, label=Salish language, Séliš, Nłʔay, lit=Place of the Small Bull Trout, script=Latn; kut, Tuhuⱡnana, script=Latn) is a city in the U.S. state of Montana; it is the county seat of Missoula County, Montana, Missoula Cou ...
1941 establishments in Montana