Fort Lincoln Internment Camp
| Company type | Military installation and internment camp |
|---|---|
| Industry | Military, internment |
| Founded | 1895 |
| Fate | Ceased operations after World War II; site now United Tribes Technical College |
| Headquarters | Bismarck , United States |
Fort Lincoln Internment Camp functioned as both a military installation and an internment facility situated south of Bismarck, North Dakota, along the eastern bank of the Missouri River.
The camp was founded in 1895 to succeed Fort Yates following the 1891 shutdown of Fort Abraham Lincoln. During the period between the world wars, it operated as a training ground for units assigned to the Seventh Corps Area.
In April 1941, the site was repurposed into an internment camp for enemy aliens, initially accommodating 800 Italian sailors captured within U.S. maritime boundaries. These detainees were shortly relocated to Fort Missoula, Montana, and their place was taken by 280 German sailors in May.
With the commencement of World War II, control of the camp shifted to the Department of Justice. The facility was expanded to hold U.S. civilians of Japanese and German heritage, primarily non-citizen residents suspected—without legal proceedings—of engaging in fifth column activities. Japanese American detainees were moved soon after arriving in 1942, leaving German prisoners and internees housed until February 1945.
On February 14, 1945, a group of 650 Japanese Americans was transferred from Department of Justice and War Relocation Authority camps, including Tule Lake, known as a segregation center for those labeled "disloyal." This group included Nisei who had relinquished their U.S. citizenship under pressure or coercion and Issei non-citizens seeking repatriation to Japan; an additional 100 renunciants arrived in July. More than half were deported later that year.
Throughout World War II, roughly 3,600 individuals were interned at Fort Lincoln, with its highest population reaching 1,518 inmates in February 1942.
Following the end of World War II, Fort Lincoln ceased operations. The location currently serves as the site for United Tribes Technical College.
See also
Works cited
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- Buildings and structures in Burleigh County, North Dakota
- Forts in North Dakota
- History of North Dakota
- Internment camps for Japanese Americans
- World War II internment camps in the United States
- 1895 establishments in North Dakota
- Forts along the Missouri River
- World War II prisoner-of-war camps in the United States