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An early history of Ft. Carson
Part one of the early history of Ft. Carson
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The history of Ft Carson started when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941; and the United States declared war on Japan which soon included all the Axis Powers. Officials in charge of selecting new sites for military installations went into immediate action, as they would soon have many new troops to train. Less than one month later it was announced that Colorado Springs had been selected as the site for an army camp. On February 22, 1942, Colorado Springs newspapers reported that the installation would be named Camp Carson in honor of Brigadier General Christopher “Kit” Carson, the famous frontiersman. The original military reservation consisted of 60,048 acres of land; some donated by the city of Colorado Springs, some purchased from private owners or acquired from the Department of Interior. The Army even leased some from the State of Colorado. 
During World War II, a total of 104,165 soldiers trained at Camp Carson. More than 125 units were activated at Camp Carson and other units were transferred to the Mountain Post from other installations. The camp trained nurses, cooks, mule packers, tank battalions, and many other types of personnel. Toward the end of the war, after the departure of the divisions and established units, Camp Carson trained replacement troops as well. In late 1943, approximately 43,000 military personnel came here and were quickly trained so they could be sent overseas to do their part for the war. There were no facilities for dependents, so if a soldier wanted to bring his family, they had to live in the local economy.
A total of nearly 9,000 German, Italian, and some Japanese prisoners of war were interned at Camp Carson during World War II. The internment camp, opened on January 1, 1943, was later re-designated a POW camp. Located just inside Gate 3 it originally housed 3000 prisoners and later increased to 5000 prisoners.
After World War II, the camp had a sharp decrease in personnel and was threatened with closure.
Colorado Springs was just beginning to recover from the recession of the early 1950s when word came that Camp Carson was to become a Fort. The 31st (Dixie) Division had been transferred to Carson. It was renamed the 8th Infantry Division on June 15, 1954. In 1955, the newly named Ft. Carson trained more soldiers for other units in the United States and abroad. Even though the United States was at peace, there were approximately 25,000 troops stationed at Ft. Carson, plus an additional 2,000 civilian employees.
On August 27, 1954, Camp became a Fort and all Colorado Springs cheered. With a permanent military presence their prospects looked good. The 8th Division went to Germany, and traded posts with the 9th Division in 1956. The 9th Division was reorganized and became a nuclear capable division. Many regiments were retired and battle groups were formed into brigades which brought changes to the Army and Ft. Carson. Can Ft. Carson survive all the cut-backs and closures that lay ahead for the Army?
If you enjoyed reading this article, why not Kathy (719-287-1049) KTorline@msn.com
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