On American Soil | Fort Lawton, Washington

ON AMERICAN SOIL: FORT LAWTON, WASHINGTON

In 1899, Seattle's business community donated seven hundred acres of farm and timberland to the government, ensuring that the U.S. Army would construct a base on a sweeping plateau overlooking Puget Sound. The fort was named in honor of Gen. Henry Ware Lawton, a larger-than-life military hero who had recently died during a battle in the Philippines.

During World War II, Fort Lawton was a major west coast staging area for tens of thousands of soldiers and equipment headed to the front lines in the Pacific. By August 1944, approximately ten percent of troops passing through Fort Lawton were African American, most assigned to port companies. Also at the fort: two hundred Italian prisoners of war, organized into a service unit to perform menial tasks in support of the Allied war effort.

The former fort is now Discovery Park, Seattle's largest public open space.

Printable BROCHURE with modern map showing locations of 1944 events.

Fort Lawton's densely-wooded perimeter includes thousands of bigleaf maples
A rocky beach at the base of the Magnolia Bluffs borders Puget Sound
1944 aerial view of Fort Lawton, looking south. The Italian area is in green; the "Colored" area is in red.
1944 aerial closeup of Italian and "Colored" areas; site of Guglielmo Olivotto's lynching is in orange circle.
1970 aerial of the former Fort Lawton, now owned by the City of Seattle and known as Discovery Park.
Modern map of Discovery Park	Epicenter of August 14, 1944 riot in Fort Lawton Italian Area
Post Exchange #3, site of August 1944 conflicts between Italians POWs and American soldiers [courtesy Burt Gilman]	T5 Burt Gilman in 4th Section jeep [courtesy Burt Gilman]
Sgt. Robert Stranacher, Sgt. Roy Bloomer and T5 Burt Gilman next to Gen. Eley Densen's staff car [courtesy Burt Gilman]	T5 Burt Gilman playing horseshoes outside enlisted men's barracks [courtesy Burt Gilman]
Guglielmo Olivotto's headstone--shaped like a broken column--still stands outside the perimeter of the Fort Lawton military cemetery.	The inscription reads: SOLD. ITAL. / OLIVOTTO GUGLIEAMO [sic] /23 OCTTOBRE 1911 / 14 AGOSTO 1944
Modern view from what used to be barracks 719, looking west toward what used to be the Italian area.	Modern view from what used to be Italian barracks 708, looking east toward what used to be the "Colored" area.