Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-14
GREAT MILITARY POST
Fort Russell, Near Cheyenne,
Nearing Completion.
ACCOMMODATE A BRIGADE
Over 200 Buildings for 4,5OO Officers
and Men.
COST GOVERNMENT 100000
Camp and Maneuvering Grouhos
Nearly Available for Great
Army Rendezvous.
COST GOVERNMENT $e,ooo,ooo
BY WILLIAM r.. CURTIS.


Chicago Record Herald.
| CHEYENNE, Wyo. August = 1900.
| A grand boulevard 100 feet wide aud
as straight as his majesty's foot rule
extends northeastward from the state
house three miles to a city Of $500 or
more Inhabitants. which the govern
ment of the United states is building
upon a reservation of $50 acres adj
| joining the city of Cheyenne IL -
/ called Fort D. A. Russell. and when
| completed will be one of the hnest
military posts in the world and repre-
sent and expenditure of about s5'oo"' .
600. According to the present policy of
the government the military forces are
to be concentrated at few convenient
| locations, where soldiers and supplies
can be handled with the greatest
| promptness and economy and sent by
railway train to whatever point they
may be needed. The pacification of the
i Indians and the extension of transpor-
| tayion lines across the plains ana
/ through the mountains has made it
! possible TO abolish the many one-com-
! pany and tWo-company posts winch
! formerly stood In isolated places near
Indian reservations and We're reached
! ONLY by wagon trails. All of the small
| posts are now being abandoned, ana
only the large ones are retained.
Fort Sill in Oklahoma will be the
largest-a division post. where three
brigades, one each Of cavalry. artillery
and infantry. with engineers. signal
corps. hospital corps and other branches
of the service will be maintained to tine
number of 10000. Brigade posts Will
be maintained at Leavenworth and
| Fort Russell. Cheyenne. with accom-
| modations for 1880 men. while Camp
Sheridan. near Chicago; Fort Logan at
Denver. Fort Crook at Omaha. Douglas
at Salt Lake. Meade and Robinson, Da.
kota: Missoula. Montana: Wright ct
Spokane. the Presidio. San Francisco,
and others will be maintained as regi-
mental posts with accommodations for
| 1000 men each.
Established in 1867.
! Fort D. A. Russell was built at the
same time as Fort Fetterman, in the sum-
mer of 1857, at point where the Union
Pacific railroad would cross Crow creek,
for the purpose Of protecting the railway
construction camps. 1t was named after
! Mai Gen. David 4. Russell, who was
killed at the battle of Opequan, Virginia,
September 10. 1864. Temporary log huts
were erected for the accommodation OF
the enlisted men during the first summer,
the officers remaining in tents, and by the
| end Of the year the troops were IN per-
manent barracks. The region In the vlcin-
ity Of the post originally belonged to the
Arapahoe Indians, who were removed TO
| Indian Territory in 1888. Ever since its
establishment the post has been an inn
portant rendezvous for the distribution Of
troops and depot for Guartermaster ana
commissary supplies 1t has had very
little military history otherwise; but its
central location and proximity to two
railroads enabled troops and supplies TO
be sent promptly in any direction. The
barracks were destroyed by fire In 1910
and again in 1882, and rebuilt each time
upon a more extensive scale.
Camp Carlin was established near by
! as a supply depot for Fort Fetterman,
Fort Bridger, Fort Steele, Fort Phil
kearney. Fort Saunders, Fort Laramie
Fort Washable and other small posts
that were necessary to keep the Sioux
and Cheyennes in subsection. Carlin was
| abolished in 1880. and all the other posts
have gradually been abandoned and their
| forces concentrated at D. 4. Russell.
| which. when completed. will have quar-
tiers for:
One regiment of infantry. twelve COM
panies and band, about 800 men.
One regiment of cavalry, twelve troops
| and a band about Loo men.
One regiment Of field artillery, SIX pat
teries about 900 men.
One company Of engineers. 1oo men.
| Two companies of Signal Corps, 200
men. ,oo
One company OF Hospital NoIps' Ioo
men.
Two rack trains of 200 mules each.
Civilian employees. approximately 800.
Three District Garrisons.
| The post will be commanded by
| brigadier general, who will have a COM
plete staff and suitable administration
buildings. which surround triangle ut
the extreme end of the boulevard. where
the old post used to be. Under him will
! be three distinct and Independent gar
risons. under regimental commanders OF
infantry, cavalry and artillery. Each Will
] have its own barracks and officers
| quarters, separated by roadWayS-the par
| racks for enlisted men on one side OF the
boulevard, and the officers quarters on
the other.
There are all together about seventy
five buildings for officers quarters-tWo
story and a half and three story build
| inss, substantially built of brick and
stone, with slate roofs, mostly In double
! sets, except those for the field omcfrs.
which are independent. There are -FOUR
buildings containing bachelors quarters.
divided into apartments OF four and six
| rooms each. These quarters are grouped
upon according TO the line OF service,
| furnishing the accommodations for about
| fifty officers to each regiment. The Of
| ticers' street is nearly two miles long, the
| artillery being nearest the city and the
cavalry, infantry and Signal Corps fol-
lowing in order.
There are altogether ol2 buildings upon
the reservation. These include, in addi-
ton to the officers quarters and barracks
| already mentioned, houses for mon
| commissioned officers and their families,
and stables for each troup OF cavalry
| and battery OF artillery, a veterinary hos
pital. gun sheds for the artillery, rail-
! way station and long row OF freight
warehouses. a brigade hospital, costing
100000, and equipped in the most
modern manner, a dispensary, and with
l6O beds and half dozen private rooms
for officers. The Hospital Corps are
housed in a handsome building that looks
like hotel nearby. Each regiment has
an independent hospital, with twenty beds,
with q dispensary adjoining their bar
racks for emergency cases, and for men
who are not i'll enough to be sent to the
brigade hospital. Each regiment has Its
own guardhouse its own commisEary and
quartermasters stores, and post exchange
buildings. while the cavalry has large
riding school, and there are plans for
a brigade gymnasium. swimming pool.
bowling alleys and billiard rooms.
The brigade quartermaster has six
stables and stores. while the commits
sary has twelve. There are fire sta
other buildings required for. military
purposes.
There are three parade grounds-one
2.100 by 1900 feet, for the use OF cav
airy and artillry: another 900 by 1000
feet. for the use of infantry, and a
small one, in the shape OF a triangle.
each side 800 feet long. which is at the
end Of the boulevard, surrounded by
brigade, headquarters. There is tar
to- ne fhA 60