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Fort Missoula opens immersive exhibit on World War II internment, museum leaders say remembrance prevents repeat
Summary
Missoula County museum leaders described the recently opened “Far From Home” exhibit at Fort Missoula and explained why preserving the site and its stories matters. Speakers detailed the site’s wartime use, fundraising and grant support for an $800,000 restoration and how the exhibit aims to humanize internees’ experiences.
Fort Missoula’s historical museum has opened an immersive exhibit called “Far From Home” that recreates the experience of men held at the site during World War II, museum officials and Missoula County leaders said in a public discussion on the Missoula County Commissioners’ podcast.
Commissioner Josh Slotnick introduced the program, and Matt Lotzenheiser, director of the historical museum at Fort Missoula, and Ron Wakimoto, professor emeritus at the University of Montana and a museum board member, described the site’s history and the exhibit’s development. Lotzenheiser said the restored barrack and gallery were made possible by a mix of public grants and private fundraising: an assessment costing $60,000 (of which a National Park Service Japanese American Confinement Sites grant covered $40,000), a $533,000 reconstruction grant awarded in 2021, and additional funds from local foundations and donors that brought the project’s total to about $800,000.
The exhibit focuses on personal stories. “What we really wanted was to create something that was immersive,…
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