Camp Douglas provides a rare historic look into a World War II POW Camp.
This massive POW camp was constructed to hold captured soldiers from the frontline of the war. During World War II it help prisoners from both Italy and Germany. Today you can still see the old Officers Club and various artifacts representing the lives of those or worked or where held captive at this site. You can view elaborate painted murals and artwork preserved today and depicting images of life in the American West.
During WWII, Douglas had the primary prisoner of war (POW) camp for Wyoming. All other POW camps in Wyoming were satellite sites of Douglas. The camp was over a square mile in size, comprised of 180 buildings, which housed up to 2,000 Italian and 3,000 German POWs, and 500 army personnel from the spring of 1943 to the winter of 1946. At the time, the camp was larger than the town of Douglas.
Life was hard for those interned at Camp Douglas and a visit to the historic site brings theses stories back to life.
- Picnic Area
- Restroom Facilities
- Museum & Historic Displays
Podcast worth a listen!
In 1943 several thousand Prisoners of War from Germany and Italy were taken across the US to the tiny farming and ranching town of Douglas, Wyoming. This episode shares oral histories from people who remembered the camp and what they learned about the people held inside.