The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1911-08-15
GOVERNMENT SPENDING MILLIONS TO
MAKE FORT SILL GREATEST IN LAND

Lawton, Okla, Aug. H." Create
Fort sill" is the language used to
tell about some military improve
ments on the governments military
reserve, a few miles north of I.awton,
and If $22 100000 is not sufficient to
build the greatest field for practical
military operations in the nation, then
there must be some pretty big forts
10 this country. And fl there is in
this country a location affording a.
more ideal spot for large and varied
army maneuyers than that afforded on
The military reserve here. the coun-I
Try is unaware of the fact.
"Old Fort Sill" as It is now dcsia-
mated, was located in June. 1869. and
was known as Camp Wichita II was
then under command of General Ben
iamin H. Grierson, and was first regu.
larly occupied by troors I'm January
of that year. On the same spot in
1892, Captain r. b. Marcy ana Cap.I
tain George b. Mcclellan, i'm command
of the Red river expedition. which
brought the first white men to this
section of the country. camped for
several days.
or the site of Fort Sill, General Mar.
cy in his report said: From its com.
handing position it is well secured
against surprise and is by nature one
of the most defensive places | have
ever seen"
General Sheridan selected Camp
/ Wichita as base of operations
( against the Cheyennes and Kiowas in
/ the campaign of 1S6S-69, which put
an end to Indian depredatons in west
/ ern Oklahoma, and from that date the
/ post has been the military center for
/ reservations of all the southwest Ok
/ lahoma Indians. Geronimo. the
bloody war chief of the Apaches, who
/ for % years was prisoner of war
at the fort, was buried on the reser-
/ vation.
The military reservation. on which
/ Is located Old Fort Sill, and which
/ viii include the new fort, contains
/ $4,000 acres. IT is nine miles wide,
10 miles long, The region is most
diversified and picturesque. There
are mountains. valleys. streams, hills.
woods, canyons. prairies, gorges and
steep precipices.
This vast tract of land is now in
the hands of contractors and a great
amount of construction has been ac-
complished at the new fort. Officers
dwellings, barracks. stables, gun sheds
and all buildings are of reinforced
concrete. They are handsome in de-
sign and embody all improvements
known to the military service.
This first division. which will be
/ for the artillery will be occupied
about October l by the Fifth Field
Artillery, under command of Colonel
| Granger Adams, with regimental band.
! The regiment is now stationed at Fort
Sheridan. Ill. Adjoining the artillery
quarters will be the infantry, and the
| cavalry will occupy the ground next,
lying at the foot of Mt Signal
Each division will be built on the
same approved methods, and each will
/ have all the conyeniences found In
all we'll regulated cities. There will
be sanitary sewer systems, hot water
heating plants and a gravity waite.
works system.
feat of engineering that is unique
The top of one of the mountains has
been leyeled off and a hole approx.
mating 200 feet deep blasted in the
center of the mount. The sides were
Cemented and the hole made into n
reservoir that will hold 500. 900 gallons !
of water. A steam pump will be used |
TO fill the reservoir with water from
mountain streams and the gravity |
pressure still suffice to distribute the
water to all parts of the vast reserve. !
Parade and drill grounds will hp |
in the center of the reserve. being
thanked on each side by Officers and
enlisted mems quarters. In lie IA.
rade ground will be the band stand N
which will be given concerts semi
weekly. When the new fort is occu-
pied there will be something like 10
OO0 soldiers living there and the an
nual pay roll will exceed quarter
million dollars.
Major Duval, chief medical officer.