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History Lessons: Internment at Fort Missoula
The Agenda with the Missoula County Commissioners
The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula is home to the largest intact World War II internment site in the United States. From 1941 to 1944, the U.S. Department of Justice managed two Alien Detention Center barracks at the Fort and imprisoned 1,200 Italian nationals and more than 1,100 Japanese Issei men.
The museum recently opened “Far from Home: An Internee Experience at Fort Missoula,” an immersive exhibit in a restored barracks building on the grounds of the Fort. This week, Commissioner Slotnick sat down with Matt Lautzenheiser, museum director, and Ron Wakimoto, board member of the Friends of the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula, to dive into the history of this site and why the stories of internment are still so prescient today.
This episode opens with Commissioner Slotnick's remarks from the exhibition opening. Thank you to Dennis Bragg for supplying this audio clip!
- Alien Detention Center Barracks
- Recording of the grand opening of Far From Home: An Internee Experience at Fort Missoula
- Learn more about Assembly Centers, War Relocation Sites and Alien Detention Centers
Text us your thoughts and comments on this episode!
Thank you to Missoula's Community Media Resource for podcast recording support!
