On the ground where musket and cannon thundered 140 years earlier, across the pathways where men marched off to five wars, stands a place transformed today to meet the needs of tomorrow. Once strategically set apart from Salt Lake City and viewed with dread, Fort Douglas is now a global community - the place where athletes from around the world will stay as they compete in the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and Paralympic Games.

Chronicling the history behind the Olympic Village, "The Spirit of Fort Douglas" premieres on KUED-7 Tuesday, February 5, at 9:00 p.m. The one-hour documentary was produced by Joe Prokop of KUED Media Solutions and is narrated by Doug Fabrizio, host of KUER-FM 90's "Radio West" public affairs program.

"'The Spirit of Fort Douglas' tells the story not only of the Western military outpost, but the nation as a whole," says Prokop of his debut historical documentary. "The fort really serves as a microcosm for understanding the cultural and political narrative of the United States - from the western expansion that drove Native Americans onto reservations to the late 20th-century military downsizing that threatened local economies across the country."

Putting the story of Fort Douglas into a national context, the program demonstrates how the post was important to the Union effort when it was established at the outbreak of the Civil War. Later, while America grappled with the struggle of race, stereotypes played out on the Salt Lake City stage when the fort hosted 0an African-American infantry unit.
After war broke out in Europe in 1914, the American public came to fear alien enemies, and Fort Douglas became the primary internment camp for suspicious German and Austro-Hungarian immigrants west of the Mississippi. As the nation banded together for the cause in the next world war, the fort would be a central place for military recruitment and induction, sending young men and women off to fight on the islands of the Pacific to the beaches at Normandy.

Throughout its many incarnations, Fort Douglas endured a tenuous relationship with the local civilian community. "The Spirit of Fort Douglas" documents the tension between members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who settled the Utah territory following years of religious persecution and the "gentile" federal troops. The program explores how the fort's founder, an Irish Catholic immigrant named Colonel Patrick Edward Connor, was suspicious of Mormons and questioned their loyalty to the Union. The Mormons, in turn, distrusted the intentions of his federal troops, greeting them when with "neither cheers nor jeers" as they marched down the Salt Lake City streets before establishing a camp overlooking the valley.
The documentary captures the spirit of Fort Douglas through the people who called it home. It features colorful interviews with the "army brats" who grew up playing on the parade grounds, along with the men and women who recall the hustle and bustle of the fort during World War II.

"Well, there was something going on all the time. The band used to set up on Soldier's Field and play concerts at noon for all the people who worked in the offices around," says Margaret Montgomery, who met her husband George, a Chief Warrant Officer and director of the 364th Army Band, at Fort Douglas. "They just provided so much entertainment. The best there was - like Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, everybody all thrown together."

In 1991, the military career of Fort Douglas officially came to an end as the flag was lowered and the University of Utah took possession of 62 historic buildings and 51 acres of land. Taking care to preserve the fort's heritage, the university created the Heritage Commons student residence area that will also serve as the official Athletes' Village during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and Paralympic Games. In both capacities, the residential area will be a place of community, allowing people from different places to come together and create the next chapter of history.

"Now we have this vitality of youth and an opportunity for education and collaboration that will continue to go on here for years, and will still serve the community as a place where they can come and visit, learn the history of the Fort and experience this unique environment," said Anne Racer, University of Utah facilities planning director.

"KUED hopes viewers will learn something new about Fort Douglas, which has both a fascinating history and a promising future," says Larry S. Smith, general manager of KUED.

The program was made possible by the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation and the C. Comstock Clayton Foundation.