Fort Carson

 (1942-Present) - Established in 1942 as a World War II training camp in El Paso County, Colorado. First named Camp Carson after the famed Kit Carson, western scout and military officer. Renamed Fort Carson in 1954. Active military installation.

World War II (1941-1945)
Fort Carson was originally built on 60,000 acres of land purchased by the city of Colorado Springs and donated to the War Department in 1941. Construction began in 1942 and the camp headquarters was completed 31 Jan 1942. The initial building program called for some 1,650 buildings including 438 barracks, 181 mess halls and 18 hospitals along with many support structures. The Camp was built to accommodate 30,000 to 40,000 troops. Another 375 buildings were added at the end of 1942. In 1943 the post was expanded to include a Prisoner of War (POW) camp that could accommodate 3,000 POWs. The POW camp was soon expanded to hold up to 8,000 prisoners. The peak camp population reached 43,000 early in 1944 and a total of 104,165 troops were trained at Fort Carson during World War II.

Current Status
Active duty post.

See Also:
 * Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site
 * Active Army Posts

Sources:
 * , page 103-104

Links:
 * Official Site
 * Wikipedia - Fort Carson