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View Full List of National Register: Wyoming Listings

View Full List of National Register: Wyoming Listings

Officer's Club Douglas Prisoner of War Camp

 

 
 

Read All About It:

The Officer's Club, located on the site of the former Douglas POW Camp, was constructed in 1943. The Camp, consisting of 180 buildings, was among the 155 base camps and 511 branch camps that were constructed throughout the United States during World War II to house enemy captives from Europe and Japan. The Officer's Club, one of only a few camp buildings still standing, features sixteen murals painted by three Italian prisoners-of-war during 1943-1944.

The murals are painted directly on the walls and depict icons of the mythical American west: cowboys, Indians, wagon trains, cattle drives, a stockade fort, and even the famous Old Faithful geyser in Wyoming's Yellowstone National Park. The Douglas POW Camp officially closed in 1946 and became the property of the War Assets Administration. A few local people, including members of the Douglas Lodge #15, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, fought to preserve the history of the Camp. The Odd Fellows purchased the Officer's Club in 1963, has maintained the building, and taken pains to protect the unique murals.

 
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Date Added to Register:
Saturday, September 08, 2001
 
Location:
Douglas
 
County:
Converse County
 
Smithsonian Number:
48CO1322

 

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