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.