Fort Missoula Fort Missoula was established by the United States Army in 1877 on land that is now part of the city of Missoula , Montana , to protect settlers in Western Montana from possible threats from the native American Indians , such as the Nez Perce . Beginning in 1888 , the fort was home to the famous " Buffalo Soldier s " of the 25th Infantry Regiment ( 3rd Formation ) . While stationed at Fort Missoula , this unit tested the practicality of soldiers traveling by bicycles by conducting numerous training rides , with one ride all the way to St . Louis , Missouri . The Trans - America Bicycle Trail established in 1976 goes through Missoula , and covers some of the routes pedaled by the 25th Regiment . During World War II , Fort Missoula housed a prison camp for Italian POW s , who called the area Bella Vista . Fort Missoula was established as a permanent military post in 1877 and built in response to requests of local townspeople and settlers for protection in the event of conflict with western Montana Indian tribes . It was intended as a major outpost for the region ; however , area residents also were quite aware of the payroll , contracts , and employment opportunities Fort Missoula would provide . Fort Missoula never had walls ; rather , it was an " open fort , " a design common for posts located west of the Mississippi . Open forts required troops to take the offensive and actively patrol the areas to which they were assigned . Construction had barely begun when the Company Commander , Captain Charles Rawn , received orders to halt the advance of a group of non - treaty Nez Perce Indians . The Nez Perce , led by Chiefs Joseph , Looking Glass and others , simply went around the soldiers ' hastily - constructed earth and log barricade in Lolo Canyon ( later called " Fort Fizzle " ) and escaped up the Bitterroot Valley . The 25th Infantry Regiment arrived at Fort Missoula in May 1888 . The regiment was one of four created after the Civil War that were made up of black soldiers with white officers . In 1896 , Lieutenant James Moss organized the 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps to test the military potential of bicycles . The corps undertook several short journeysup the Bitterroot Valley by bicycle to deliver dispatches , north to the St . Ignatius area , and through Yellowstone National Parkbefore making a trip from Fort Missoula to St . Louis in 1897 . The Army concluded that while the bicycle offered limited military potential , it would never replace the horse . The 25th Infantry returned to Missoula by train . When the Spanish - American War broke out in 1898 , the 25th was one of the first units called to fight . The regiment served bravely in Cuba and the Philippines , but was reassigned to other posts after the war ' s end . The efforts of Congressman Joseph Dixon of Missoula led to the appropriation of $ 1 million in 1904 to remodel Fort Missoula . A modern complex of concrete buildings with red tile roofs was constructed between 1908 and 1914 , including a new Officer ' s Row , barracks , and Post Hospital . The fort was used as a military training center during World War I , but was almost abandoned by 1921 . However , it was designated as the Northwest Regional Headquarters for the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1933 . 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 . The camp was used as a prison for military personnel accused of military crimes and other personnel awaiting court - martial following World War II . After the post was decommissioned in 1947 , many of the buildings were sold , dismantled , and removed from the site . For a number of years , Fort Missoula was a subinstallation under the accountability of Fort Carson , Colorado . The majority of the land is now in the hands of non - military agencies , including the U . S . Forest Service , the Bureau of Land Management , and Missoula County ( including the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula ) . Fort Missoula was formally decommissioned in April , 2001 .