Historical Fort Missoula

Alien Detention Center

Fort Missoula was turned over to the Department of Immigration and Naturalization in 1941 for use as an alien detention center for non-military Italian men (merchant seamen, World's Fair employees, and the crew of an Italian luxury liner seized in the Panama Canal). Fort Missoula housed over 1,200 Italian internees, who referred to the fort as "Camp Bella Vista." The Italians worked on area farms, fought forest fires, and worked in Missoula until they were released in 1944. Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, 650 Japanese-American men who were considered high risk were interned at the camp. These men were questioned and quickly transferred to other internment camps.

Missoula History Minutes

TEMP

42. Jail Break

The first indictment for murder was issued on October 4, 1867, against one Joseph Du Frank. Du Frank supposedly murdered a man named Louis Grandmaison in Stevensville and was sentenced to 10 years in jail for his crime. He was put in the Missoula jail, a 12-foot, square, log building. By tampering with the lock, Du Frank learned how to escape, but as it was winter and since he could get free meals and warm lodging in jail, he had no desire to escape. One night the jail caught fire from an overheated stovepipe. Du Frank couldn't put out the fire himself so he unlocked the door and called the sheriff. After the sheriff, the prisoner and others put out the fire, the prisoner was returned to the jail and a new and better lock was put on the door. In the spring, when the weather grew warmer, Du Frank dug his way to freedom and was never seen again!

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