Historical and Archaeological Perspectives on the World War 2 Prisoner of War Camp at Fort Carson, Colorado

摘要

In 1943, as part of the U.S. War Department's effort to import and detain Axis prisoners of war (POWs) from Europe and North Africa, the Army commissioned a POW camp at Camp Carson (now Fort Carson) near Colorado Springs, Colorado. A second compound was opened near the first in 1945 as POW numbers increased dramatically near the end of the war. Although the official combined capacity of the two Camp Carson compounds was 8,000 prisoners, up to 10,000 were actually detained there at times in 1945 and 1946. The POW camp was closed in 1946 as the last prisoners were repatriated to Europe. The compound buildings were intentionally removed or were destroyed by fire in the years following abandonment. The remainder of the original compound area exhibits limited archaeological evidence consisting mainly of foundation remnants, sandstone blocks, and fragments of building superstructures. The site retains little physical integrity, and it is assessed as not meeting eligibility requirements of the National Register of Historic Places.