Fort Missoula Internment Camp facts for kids

Barracks in Fort Missoula internment camp

Fort Missoula Internment Camp was a special place where people were held during World War II. It was run by the United States Department of Justice. During the war, many Japanese Americans and Italian Americans were kept here.

A Look Back: Fort Missoula's Story

Early Days of Fort Missoula

Fort Missoula was first built in 1877. It was located near Missoula, Montana. The fort was created to help with concerns about conflicts with local Native American tribes. It became a permanent military base.

Becoming an Internment Camp

In 1941, something big changed for Fort Missoula. It was given to the "Department of Immigration and Naturalization." This department used it as a special detention center. It was for Italian men who were not part of the military.

Who Was Held at Fort Missoula?

Many people were held at Fort Missoula during the war.

• Nearly 1,100 Italian citizens were interned there. These included sailors from merchant ships. Some were even workers from the World's Fair who could not go back to Italy. The crew of a large Italian ship, the SS Conte Biancamano, was also held there. This ship had been taken in the Panama Canal.
• More than 1,000 Japanese men were also interned at Fort Missoula.
• About 23 German people who lived in the U.S. were also held there.
• Later, these groups were moved to other facilities.

Nearly one third of the Italians interned were sailors of the Biancamano liner

Life at Camp "Bella Vista"

The Italian people held at Fort Missoula had a special name for it. They called it Camp "Bella Vista," which means "beautiful view." While they were there, many of them worked. They helped on local farms and fought forest fires. They also worked in other industries in Missoula. Most of these Italian internees were released in 1944.

A Famous Internee: Guido Trento

A well-known Italian actor named Guido Trento was also held at Fort Missoula. He was born in 1892 and passed away in 1957. He was also known as Guy Trent. One of his most famous movies was Street Angel from 1928. Guido Trento was released in 1943. This happened when Italy surrendered to the Allies. He later moved to the United States.