OnlineUtah.com Logo
History of Fort Douglas, Utah
Taken from the Utah History Encyclopedia (Links Added)
-2-

Rails were joined at Promontory, Utah, in 1869 permitting rapid deployment of the local troops. Fort Douglas units participated in the northern plains campaigns of the 1860s and 1870s and in the Sioux War of 1890. During the Spanish-American War of 1898, the 24th Infantry, a Black regiment stationed at Fort Douglas, fought gallantly in Cuba.

Fort Douglas expanded quickly during World War I as thousands of recruits arrived for their training. A general hospital was established in 1918 but was never completed, and a prisoner-of-war compound was built for German prisoners. The 28th Infantry, nicknamed "Rock of the Marne" in World War I for stopping a German offensive, arrived in 1922. The regiment departed in August 1940 and Fort Douglas temporarily became an air base in conjunction with the Salt Lake Municipal Airport.

After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Ninth Service Command Headquarters was moved from the Presidio, San Francisco, to Fort Douglas in January 1942. The fort also directed the repair of military vehicles and served as a finance center until 1947. Once again, a prisoner-of-war camp was established at the fort.


Page 2
Google
 
Web OnlineUtah.com
Comments & Questions to OnlineUtah.com

Home | Area Codes | Cities | Climate | Credits | Counties | Dining | Dinosaurs | Disclaimer | Education | Entertainment | Government | Health | History | Hot Springs | Industry | Lakes | Lodging | Maps | Media | Mountains | Museums | Parks | People | Photo Gallery | Quick Facts | Quizzes | Recreation & Sports | Religion | Rivers | Sites | Travel | Weather