Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1917-12-05
CAPT. SWEzEY WRITES
FROM FORT RILEY
Dcecrah Doctor Member Medical
Odicers' tt Ning Camp Gives
Interest," Description OF
LAG Camp.
AEyBRAL OTHEN ,oRAHIANs
ARE his CAMP
Saw Several DEBORAH B0. Fort
Riley and Says He is ~
Proud of Them.

Medical Officers Training Camp,
Fort Riley. Kansas,
Nov. %, 1917.
Dsar Editor:
IAree miles west of the junction
Of the Republican and Smokey Hill
river is located Fort Riley. probably
the largest fort in America.
Hsneral Bennett Riley located this
t1ess In 1852 to guard the Santa Fe
AFaff: It is shown as a matter Of rec
;srd that this country was explored
II, 1S4s by a Spanish expedition, SO
yeu zee We are in no means in q new
la4HQty. Yet when I was assigned I'd
Next Riley I was compelled to in.
4ut!a az its location. Now I find II
ri6A With wonderful lhistoay. Just
GO Of us two miles on the reserve
ti& Is the Pawnee Flats. Here in
185< . few settlers gathered and a
Territorial legislature convened.
Absat twenty votes made Kansas a
territory. Their first capital was
built here and stands today as an ear
~ day landmark; though it's roof has
fallen to decay, the walls are quite
well preserved.
The 'Kaw"" or Kansas river which
is formed by the session of the Re-
publican and Smoking Hill was navi-
gable in those days as far as FIT.
Riley. Today it is only a slow. shall
low stream full of sand bars and mud
drifts.
In 1854 Asiatic cholera almost de-
populated the Fort and as they had
no doctors the plague reaped it's har-
vest uninterrupted. Strange to say
new just 63 years later we have here
assaldbled about $4,000 men. and a
seearge broke out far more deadly
than cholera, and can safely say 1t
is vader control and we have lost
seatsely q score of soldiers. Q refer
- the epidemic of infective menen-
gftis.)
In about 1855 when JEFF Davis was
Secretary Of War, the Reservation OF
Fort Riley was enlarged to take in
the Pawnee flats, and the citizens
were ordered to move. There is a
large hole in the gable end Of the old
state house building, and it is said
it was made by cannon ball fired
from the fort to let the rebelli1g citi-
IONS know the order must be. Obeyed
However I can find no history to bear
sut this statement. 30 presume the
stsry is only a myth. History says the
citizens moved as soon as ordered.
I DO not want to take up space In
your paper writing history for sure
II 8 volume of interesting facts could
- told.
Kansas has more sunflowers and
freaks than any state in the union,
vet she is great, grand and beautiful
We arrived here the 2Sth day Of Aug
usf and began active training fol
war with Germany. The rolling, bro
kau prairies were covered with beau
tiful flowers, pink. blue. white and
yonow. The hills and the canyons
were a verigated flower garden. In
q day or two after arriving rode out
ever the wild reservation on a horse.
The tops of the hills near this fort
were covered with mounted cavalary,
gsfioping in circles. jumping hurdles
asseMbling and descending steep
eMfs, where 1t seemed impossible for
= horse to climb. After reaching the
haeh divide / turned east. In few
niles I saw, not hundreds. but thou
,aads of men drilling. The sound OF
Ahe commands echoed from hill to
hin. the moving columns OF men
locked strange and weired.
when I reached Camp Funston
three miles east, 1t was living, NOV
Ing mass of workmen. 5000 laborers
With hammer and saws. putting up a
Nuiiding and finishing it, with sufii-
dent room to house hundred men
in three hours. Building after build
ing, hundreds and hundreds 9f them
aad still building, on and on. there Is
NO stop. When my horse returned to
camp for dinner realized ] had
opened an interesting volume' and
before me lie the problems. which TOT
two thousand years has been the
sport of kings.
Every civilized nation has come 70
inst what We are facing and - we
lesk back ovr their crumoled runs
tCor'inued on ra'"