Kathy Witkowsky "Bella Vista: An Unseen View of World War II" Collection, 1936-1945, 1992-1995

Eight months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, 1,000 Italian merchant seamen were taken off captured Axis cargo ships operating in the European theater. They were sent to Fort Missoula just outside Missoula, Montana. The internees found the place so beautiful that they called it "Bella Vista" or "beautiful view." The internees made their new home a model city, complete with small businesses, regular musical and theatrical performances, gourmet food and athletic tournaments. After Italy's surrender, more than half the internees were allowed out of the camp to fill wartime labor shortages. Some were even drafted into the U.S. Armed Services. Most were subsequently deported, but several dozen remained behind to settle in the region, where they have since assimilated into American life.