Douglas in Converse County, Wyoming — The American West (Mountains)

Camp Douglas

World War II Prisoner of War Experience

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 30, 2022

1. Camp Douglas Marker

Inscription.

Camp Douglas. World War II Prisoner of War Experience. , During World War II, Douglas was home to the primary prisoner of war (POW) camp for Wyoming. There were 17 satellite camps throughout the state., Construction of the camp began early in 1942; the first prisoners to arrive at the camp were 412 Italians on Aug. 28, 1943. The federal government paid $23,955 for the land comprising the camp. Total cost for constructing the camp was $1.1 million. , The camp was over a square mile in size and 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. During the camp's use it was larger than the town of Douglas. , One prisoner at the camp was quoted saying, “We never had it so good.” For many of the prisoners, it was the first time since being drafted that they had clean clothes, a warm bed, good food and health care. Prisoners at the camp ranged from 14 to 80 years old. , The camp was fully self-sufficient with a 150-bed hospital, mess halls, kitchens, a motor pool, a cemetery, a newspaper, a bank and a fire department. There was a canine corps that patrolled the compound 24 hours a day. , Officers’ Club , The only building standing today is the Officers' Club, which is now the Camp Douglas Officers’ Club State Historic Site. Thanks to a dedicated group of local volunteers and leaders, the building is being preserved and in 2015 opened to visitors under the management of the Wyoming Pioneer Museum. , POW Murals , The 16 large murals at POW Camp Douglas, some of which can be seen in these images, were painted directly on the celotex walls of the officers' club and depict scenes from the mythical American West and copying the work of artists William Henry Jackson and Charles Russell. They feature cowboys, Indians, wagon trains, cattle drives, a stockade fort, and more. , The murals reveal a vision of the West created by three Italians who had most likely only seen the fabled American West through a train window as prisoners. Little is known about V. Finotti, F. DeRossi, two of the artists whose names appear on the murals. But thanks to recent research by a professor at UC-Berkley, the fascinating story of a third artist, E. Tarquinio, is now available at the site. , Artifacts on Display , POW Camp Douglas features a plethora of interesting relics from both the prisoners at the camp and those who guarded them. In addition to the many murals painted by Italian prisoners, many other works of art are on display, as well as military uniforms and equipment.

During World War II, Douglas was home to the primary prisoner of war (POW) camp for Wyoming. There were 17 satellite camps throughout the state.

Construction of the camp began early in 1942; the first prisoners to arrive at the camp were 412 Italians on Aug. 28, 1943. The federal government paid $23,955 for the land comprising the camp. Total cost for constructing the camp was $1.1 million.

The camp was over a square mile in size and 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. During the camp's use it was larger than the town of Douglas.

One prisoner at the camp was quoted saying, “We never had it so good.” For many of the prisoners, it was the first time since being drafted that they had clean clothes, a warm bed, good food and health care. Prisoners at the camp ranged from 14 to 80 years old.

The camp was fully self-sufficient with a 150-bed hospital, mess halls, kitchens, a motor pool, a cemetery, a newspaper, a bank and a fire department. There was a canine corps that patrolled the compound 24 hours a day.

Officers’ Club
The

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only building standing today is the Officers' Club, which is now the Camp Douglas Officers’ Club State Historic Site. Thanks to a dedicated group of local volunteers and leaders, the building is being preserved and in 2015 opened to visitors under the management of the Wyoming Pioneer Museum.

POW Murals
The 16 large murals at POW Camp Douglas, some of which can be seen in these images, were painted directly on the celotex walls of the officers' club and depict scenes from the mythical American West and copying the work of artists William Henry Jackson and Charles Russell. They feature cowboys, Indians, wagon trains, cattle drives, a stockade fort, and more.

The murals reveal a vision of the West created by three Italians who had most likely only seen the fabled American West through a train window as prisoners. Little is known about V. Finotti, F. DeRossi, two of the artists whose names appear on the murals. But thanks to recent research by a professor at UC-Berkley, the fascinating story of a third artist, E. Tarquinio, is now available at the site.

Artifacts on Display
POW Camp Douglas features a plethora of interesting relics from

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 30, 2022

2. Camp Douglas Marker

This marker is the leftmost panel in the interpretive kiosk on the west side of the Wyoming State Fair office.

both the prisoners at the camp and those who guarded them. In addition to the many murals painted by Italian prisoners, many other works of art are on display, as well as military uniforms and equipment.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • War, World II. A significant historical date for this entry is August 28, 1943.

Location. 42° 45.564′ N, 105° 23.437′ W. Marker is in Douglas, Wyoming, in Converse County. It is on West Center Street just west of Meadowlark Lane, on the left when traveling west. The marker is leftmost panel in the interpretive kiosk on the west side of the Wyoming State Fair office. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 400 West Center Street, Douglas WY 82633, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Wyoming’s Westward Expansion Trails Region

and in the Powder River Basin.

It is also in the American Mountain West,

on the Great Plains,

and specifically on the High Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in

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what was once the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Discover Historic Fort Fetterman (here, next to this marker); John Hunton (within shouting distance of this marker); Douglas (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) 4-8-4 Steam Locomotive #5633 (approx. 0.2 miles away); Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) Wooden Caboose (approx. 0.2 miles away); Chicago & Northwestern Railway (C&NW) Steel Sheathed Wooden Day Coach (approx. 0.2 miles away); Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroad Passenger Depot (approx. 0.2 miles away); Good Roads Club (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Douglas.

Also see . . . Camp Douglas (Wikipedia).

Excerpt: During 1942, the first year of the war for the United States, an estimated 2000 prisoners came to the United States. Overcrowded POW compounds overseas led U. S. military authorities to come up with an American internment program by September of that year. The immediate measures to accommodate over Italian 50,000 POWS held by the British in North Africa included reactivating Civilian Conservation Corps camps; opening unused portions of several major military bases; utilizing such facilities as fairgrounds, racetracks, armories, and auditoriums; and setting up "tent cities' in remote areas of the country. (Eventually almost half a million German POWs and about 4,000 Japanese POWs would also be brought to the U.S.)
The longer-range $50 million-dollar program of POW camp construction began in the fall of 1942. Security regulations dictated the camps be located in remote and isolated areas. No camps could be built within 170 miles inland from the east and west coasts; nor within a 150-mile-wide zone along the Canadian and Mexican borders. Locations near shipyards, munitions plants, and other vital wartime industries were forbidden due to fears of sabotage. The ideal site, according to the Army Corps of Engineers, was an area of 350 acres of level and well-drained land located within five miles of a railroad and 500 feet from any public road.
The presence of a large POW camp would provide an economic boon to a state and the nearby communities so “Chambers of Commerce, businessmen, the Commerce and department, city mayors, and the state's political leaders sought to secure the establishment of military installations in Wyoming,” according to historian T. A. Larson. These lobbying efforts resulted in the construction of a new air base at Casper, a large expansion at Cheyenne's Fort F. E. Warren, and the selection of a site on the outskirts of the small town of Douglas as the location for a POW camp.
The federal government acquired the land through condemnation; a legal battle ensued in which the defendants were eventually awarded more money for their land than the government had initially proposed. Government surveyors and engineers arrived in Douglas in December 1942, fueling rumors of the proposed POW camp although the official announcement did not come until January 1943. Peter Kiewit and Sons of Omaha, Nebraska came in with the low bid and the company set up operations in Douglas by February. Four to five hundred construction workers used the 4-H buildings on the state fairgrounds as dorms and a dining hall. The government contract specified the buildings be completed within 120 days; Kiewit and Sons finished the job in 95 days.

(Submitted on July 16, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on July 16, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 16, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 7 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 16, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.