The internment camp at Fort Carson officially opened on January 1, 1943. The Axis prisoners were mostly Germans and Italians. More than a hundred units from other military installations to the Mountain post.Īside from its official function as a training ground and defense installation for the US military, Fort Carson also became home to prisoners of war numbering up to 9,000 people. These include the 10th, 71st, and the 104th Mountain infantry divisions. In the course of the war, a total of 125 units were activated at the camp. Over 100, 000 volunteers were trained at the camp during the height of the Second World War. The first major unit to be fully activated at Fort Carson was the 89th Infantry Division. The hospitals also had an expansion capability of approximately 2,000 beds and a space capable of 1,726 cots. The medical structures, on the other hand, were made of concrete block of the semi-permanent construction type. The edifices were also built with wooden sided exteriors. The design of the buildings was basically based on mobilization type construction type.

These accounted for 592 nurses, 1,818 officers, and 35,173 enlisted men. A huge number of facilities necessary for the completion of the construction projection were provided. To complete the construction of various projects essential to the efficiency of the camp, the military employed approximately 11,500 workers. The construction of the fort was definitely a Herculean task. Carson who, during the 1800s, led highly successful explorations in the American West, attained legendary status as an Army scout. The military installation was named Fort Carson in honor of General Christopher Carson. The camp headquarters, which is the first building to be constructed, was completed on January 31, 1942. As an effort to help end the war, the Colorado Springs local government purchased the estate and donated the land to the War Department.Īfter the acquisition, construction started immediately.

Established in 1942, Fort Carson is a US Army installation constructed right after the Pearl Harbor attacks perpetuated by Japan.

Fort carson training range map