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Historical Museum at Fort Missoula
Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant Program » Historical Museum at Fort Missoula » Document List
During World War II, the Fort Missoula Alien Detention Camp acted as a prominent detention camp to hold and interrogate Japanese (primarily Issei) men. Today, no other camp has as many original buildings as those within Fort Missoula. As the primary goal of this project, the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula will use $50,000 in grant funding to restore the courtroom in the Post Headquarters where the Enemy Alien Hearing Board operated. Planned renovations include the removal of two temporary walls within the courtroom, and recarpeting and painting to restore the courtroom to its original integrity. Completion of the project will provide for the preservation, restoration, and interpretation of this historic site. Renovations will also include updating courtroom access to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. To accomplish this, the Historical Museum will construct a lift between the first and second floors, thus providing direct public access for the disabled and the elderly. These updates will allow the Museum the opportunity to use the courtroom as an interpretive site for visitors and researchers. Ultimately, the Museum is determined to restore the site in time for the arrival of Japanese American internees and their families during the 2011 conference sponsored by the Historical Museum and the University of Montana. The conference marks the 70th anniversary of World War II and the establishment of the Fort Missoula Alien Detention Camp.