Camp Douglas (Wyoming)

Camp Douglas
Company type	Military internment facility
Industry	Prisoner of war camp
Founded	1943
Defunct	1946
Headquarters	Douglas, United States

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Camp Douglas (Wyoming), available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 7 August 2025

Camp Douglas served as a World War II internment facility in Douglas, Wyoming, initially detaining Italian prisoners and later German prisoners of war in the United States from January 1943 until February 1946. Although only a few structures survive today, the Officer's Club is distinguished by murals created by three Italian POWs that portray iconic imagery of the American West. These artworks are recognized on the National Register of Historic Places, standing as a distinctive cultural relic connected to the camp’s legacy.

Officer's Club

Constructed in 1943, the Officer's Club is a single-story wooden structure measuring 37 by 132 feet, built upon concrete footings and a partial slab. Originally clad in asbestos shingles, its exterior now features stucco applied during the 1980s. The building has a gabled roof covered with asphalt shingles and includes a prominent brick chimney on its northeast corner. A fully enclosed porch projects from the west façade.

The interior layout consists of a kitchen, pantry, and furnace room located at the northern end; flanking a central corridor are two restrooms and a game room. The principal space is a large club room with entrances to both the porch and game room. At the southern end, storage rooms are accessible via a hallway that also contains an exit door.

Most windows are six-over-six wood sash units; however, many on the porch have been sealed beneath stucco. Inside, walls are predominantly finished with celotex paneling, with half-height paneling present in the club and game rooms. Flooring materials range from concrete in service areas to wood in public spaces, with linoleum and carpeting added in later years. The club room reveals ten wooden trusses visible through a suspended ceiling and retains original celotex ceiling panels and globe light fixtures alongside later fluorescent lighting.

Within the club room are sixteen murals painted between 1943 and 1944 by Italian prisoners of war, depicting Western themes such as cowboys, Native Americans, wagon trains, cattle drives, a stockade fort, and Yellowstone’s Old Faithful geyser. These murals are especially significant as artistic interpretations of the American West created by individuals likely familiar only through films or photographs.

Local preservation initiatives have obtained grants aimed at planning mural conservation and continue to raise funds for their restoration. The long-term objective is to make the building accessible to visitors in order to broaden public understanding beyond the Douglas community.

Despite some alteration of original materials due to stucco siding and encroaching development affecting its surroundings, the Officer's Club maintains integrity in design, location, ambiance, association, and craftsmanship.

The property qualifies for listing on the National Register under Criterion A because of its association with World War II’s influence on American communities. It exemplifies the nation’s swift defense mobilization through standardized design and mass-produced military construction—demonstrating organizational capabilities that played a crucial role in supporting the European theater.

Murals

Three Italian prisoners of war notably painted murals inside this building that illustrate scenes from the American West. Such artworks are uncommon since most POW-created art in the United States was produced by German detainees, and few examples remain due to demolition of wartime structures. This mural collection may be unique as possibly the sole surviving examples painted by Italian POWs.

The Officer's Club stands on what was once part of the POW camp site and was one of approximately 180 buildings erected within a 95-day span during spring 1943 at an overall cost of $1.1 million. The camp itself was among 155 base and branch camps established nationwide during World War II to detain prisoners captured across European and African battlefields.

Camp history

In 1942, the overcrowding of prisoner-of-war facilities overseas led the United States to initiate a domestic internment program for more than 50,000 Italian POWs previously held by British forces in North Africa. This effort involved reactivating Civilian Conservation Corps camps and converting venues such as fairgrounds and armories into detention centers. Subsequently, the U.S. also received nearly half a million German and approximately 4,000 Japanese POWs.

Late in 1942, a $50 million initiative commenced to construct dedicated POW camps under stringent security protocols. These regulations mandated remote locations, situated away from coastlines, international borders, and key industrial zones. The Army Corps of Engineers selected sites roughly with proximity to railroads but isolated from public roadways.

Construction adhered to the 1929 Geneva Convention's requirements concerning prisoner treatment. The camps were established as military installations designed to meet the minimum standards prescribed for such facilities.

Wyoming’s business and political leaders recognized the economic advantages of hosting a sizable POW camp, prompting them to advocate for military expansions in Casper and Cheyenne and ultimately secure Douglas as a camp location.

Douglas satisfied defense prerequisites with a parcel near rail lines and adjacent to the North Platte River. The federal government obtained the land through condemnation proceedings after legal challenges resulted in increased compensation. Survey teams arrived in December 1942, with an official announcement following in January 1943. The Omaha-based firm Peter Kiewit and Sons was awarded the construction contract and completed the project in just 95 days, well ahead of the allotted 120-day timeline.

The camp included officers' housing, a clubhouse, and athletic fields enclosed by double electrified fences with guard towers overseeing three prisoner compounds, each accommodating roughly 1,000 inmates. Additional infrastructure comprised a hospital, troop barracks, recreational facilities, motor pool, heating plant, warehouses, animal corrals, a K-9 unit, sewage treatment plant, salvage yard, and gravel pit.

Local authorities encouraged residents to lease rooms to military personnel due to housing shortages. A Service Men’s Center affiliated with the USO operated out of the Moose Lodge basement as a social gathering place for servicemen. Local media focused on positive expectations surrounding the army’s arrival while minimizing concerns about detaining enemy prisoners nearby.

POWs were utilized outside the camp to alleviate labor shortages caused by Wyoming men serving overseas. They undertook critical agricultural tasks such as crop harvesting and timber work. Prior to their arrival, Converse County ranchers established a corporation to manage contracts and coordinate prisoner labor effectively.

Camp opening

The initial contingent of over five hundred Army personnel arrived at the camp during May 1942, with additional troops arriving throughout the summer months. On June 20, before any POWs were received, the facility hosted a two-hour open house event attended by more than two thousand visitors from seventeen Wyoming counties who expressed considerable admiration for the camp’s 150-bed hospital.

Italian POWs

The first prisoners-of-war arrived in August 1943 were Italians transported mainly from North Africa by ship to Virginia and other ports before continuing by train to Douglas. Four hundred twelve prisoners captured during the Tunisian Campaign arrived under tight security and marched approximately one mile to the camp in groups of fifty. Upon arrival, they underwent medical examinations and received new clothing before being assigned to one of three compounds. By year’s end, the Italian POW population had grown to around 1,900 individuals including one major, four captains, and twenty-two lieutenants. Officers were housed separately and held supervisory responsibilities. The first death among prisoners was that of a captain who was initially interred on-site before repatriation.

Despite harsh winter conditions, prisoners participated in soccer matches and calisthenics. One inmate acquired American cooking skills and prepared meals for fellow prisoners as well as camp officers and hospital staff. A Catholic chaplain of Italian heritage supplied musical instruments that enabled prisoners to establish a modest church within the camp theater where they also performed musical and theatrical productions using costumes fashioned from flour sacks.

Three Italian POW artists—V. Finotti, E. Tarquinio, and F. DeRossi—created an enduring artistic contribution consisting of sixteen murals painted on the walls of the Officers Club building, one of the few structures still standing from that era. These expansive murals depict scenes from the American West including cowboys, saloon shootouts, Native Americans, wagon trains, frontier forts, and notably the Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone National Park. Enzo Tarquinio has been identified as one contributor; he was related to Sergio Tarquinio, a well-known Italian cartoonist. The murals likely drew inspiration from American movies and literature given prisoners’ limited access to local landscapes. Additional surviving artworks by Italians such as Giannino Gherardi and Walter Discosti also date back to this period.

German POWs

After Italy surrendered in 1944, Italian detainees were quietly transferred by early spring. Although the camp was closed in July 1944, it reopened a month later to accommodate German prisoners of war. By October 1, 1944, the camp housed more than 2,000 Germans, reaching a peak population of 3,011 the following summer.

The German detainees varied widely in age, from as young as 14 to as old as 80. The majority were considered compliant, yet a faction of committed Nazis caused disturbances, including acts like cutting fences and harassment. A camp newsletter disseminating Nazi propaganda was swiftly discontinued and replaced with a less politically charged publication that lasted for twenty editions.

Inmates participated in activities such as utilizing the library, engaging in sports, and organizing theatrical performances and concerts for both fellow prisoners and the local community. Skilled craftsmen produced handmade goods including shelving units and decorative plaques, some of which are still exhibited at the Douglas Pioneer Museum.

Similar to their Italian predecessors, German POWs contributed thousands of hours working in agriculture, earning $4 per day—half of which was paid in camp script redeemable at the post exchange, while the remainder was saved until their release. Some returned home with savings exceeding $500.

These prisoners worked not only within the camp but also in nearby Wyoming towns such as Clearmont, Wheatland, Basin, and Lovell, as well as in timber operations near Esterbrook and Ryan Park. Although guards accompanied them during work details, security measures were somewhat relaxed due to diminished escape risks.

Escape attempts

There were several minor escape incidents. In one case, guards discovered two prisoners concealed in a haystack wearing multiple layers of winter clothing. Another escape involved three inmates who used paper dummies during roll call to mask their absence. One group managed to evade capture for a week approximately twenty-five miles south before being apprehended after inquiring about their location.

Camp closing

By August 1945, with the conclusion of WWII, prisoner labor ended and repatriation efforts commenced. The Douglas facility released detainees from November 1945 until February 1, 1946, when it officially ceased operations. Despite wartime divisions, lasting friendships developed between POWs and local residents through letters and post-war visits.

Following abandonment, the camp became federal property managed by the War Assets Administration for surplus disposal and redistribution of building materials. Converse County took ownership of the hospital; Community Country Club acquired the Officers Club; School District 17 received fifteen buildings along with 163 acres for an experimental farm that operated until 1969. Spiegelberger Lumber dismantled 137 structures located south of the Officers Club.

By the 1980s, Interstate 25 cut through the site, which was replaced by commercial businesses, residential subdivisions, mobile home parks, and a school. Few community members preserved its historical significance.

Significantly, Douglas Lodge #15 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows purchased the Officers Club in 1963 for $5,000 and maintained it along with distinctive murals painted by Italian POWs.

In 2015, management of the Officers' Club transferred to Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources as a Wyoming State Historic Site. It is accessible to visitors during summer months (June–August) on selected days.

The inclusion of the Officers' Club on the National Register of Historic Places recognizes those dedicated to preserving this cultural and historical business landmark and honors the thousands who resided there during wartime.

External links

Bibliography

Bear, Kenneth L. Unpublished manuscript titled "Recalling the Sagebrush Kriegies: Italian and German Prisoners of War Interned at Camp Douglas, 1943-1946"
Douglas Pioneer Museum archives, containing a wide collection of newspaper articles detailing the POW Camp and its effects on the local community.
Larson, T. A. Wyoming's War Years: 1941 - 1945. Reprint edition published by Cheyenne, Wyoming Historical Foundation, 1993.
Leonard, Peg Layton. West of Yesteryear. Johnson Publishing Co., Boulder, Colorado, 1976.
Wasch, Diane Shaw, Perry Busch, Keith Landreth, et al., James Glass, "World War II and the U.S. Army Mobilization Program: A History of 700 and 800 Series Cantonment Construction"; Legacy Resources Management Program, U.S. Department of Defense; National Park Service.