Medical Officers Training Camp - Yearbook (Fort Riley, KS)

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I . , ,ri I V ,X ', Xi? ,z Xi 3 ' 725:-ear-Qbi lflf, lx u x .- - . w 1 ' r HEADQUARTERS STAFF Koster COL. W. N. BISPHAM, M.C., U. S. Army Commanding Officer Sgt. lst Class Hans R. Gilbertson Sgt. lst Class Harry F. Ormsloy Sgt. lst Class Harry F. Maledy Sergeant Elmer L. Lawson Sergeant Elrie E. Turner Sergeant Lloyd I. Wallace MAJOR W. H. RICHARDSON, M.C., U. S. Army Adjutant MAJOR FREDERICK R. GREEN, M.R.C., Chicago, Ill. Assistant Adjutant LIEUT. R. E. WERLIOH, MC., Chicago, Ill. Assistant Adjutant Emil Asebrook Bernard C. Carlson james H. Elkin William L. Henry james QI. McCoy Milton B. Norman Edwin H. Schmitz LIEUT. LEROY -I. WPIEELER, M.R.C., Wakeeney, Kans. Assistant Adjutant NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS Sgt. lst Class Thomas Calvin Cleveland, O. Sgt. lst Class Rolla Hagmeyer Fowler, Ill. FRIVATES FIRST. Ada, Minn. Toledo, O. Salem, Mo. Tulare, Calif. National City, Ronan, Mont. Calif CLASS South Omaha, Nebr Clay Center, Kans. Waynesboro, Pa. Somers, Mont. Lincoln, Nebr. independence, Ia. Kansas City, Mo. . . ' I . ' ' I ' A YEAR BOOK EDITORIAL I STAFF 16

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I MEDICAL OFFICEIQS TRAINING CAMP A ul. V A -- I 1 l l 'T 1 Fl - - ---- -- 0.80-UQQQQZQQOQO .-QU-.-U-.a.-.C.a.c,a.-Q FCRDT 1211,F,Y, KANSAS ffffisioryl of Tilrerl Uiiley v HILE Fernando DeSoto with his band of followers was struggling along the lower Mississippi in 1541, in an attempt to explore the interior of this country, an expedition from New Spain had made its way lift northward, and at its extreme Northern limit reached what is now the very center of the United States. l 1 .. This well organized army from New Spain was led bv Vasquez de Coronado in search of the m thic 1 lil, S: seven cities of Cibola in the land of Quivera. They were probably the first Europeans to sefl fortah Zig' in what is now Central Kansas, and the Camp of Coronado has been located by one authority at the 'unction of the Republican and Smok Hill Rivers. J Y Shortly after the Lewis and Clarke expedition had viewed Kansas from the Missouri River, an expedition under the command of Lieutenant Z. M. Pike, United States Army, was started through Kansas. He arrived at Pawnee Village September 25th, 1806, where he found the Spanish flag at the Council Lodge. He lowered it, and in its place raised the American flag. In june, 1842, Lieutenant C. Fremont camped for several days on the present site of junction City, which is four miles south of Fort Riley. lhe Santa Fe trail opened in 1824, stretched 400 miles of its way in Kansas territory and was for 40 years a great aid in the advance of civilization in this country. Authorities do not agree as to the exact date when Fort Riley was founded, though it was some tince in 1852. A circular issued by the United States Surgeon Generals ofhce in 1875 says it was established in the spring of 1852, and was at hrst known as Camp Center, it being very near the geographical center of the United States. Percival G. Love who was First Sergeant of Troop B, First Dragoons, at the time, says it was established late in the fall of 1852, and this would be indicated by the fact that on july 31st, 1852, Colonel T. T. Fauntleroy, Commanding Ofhcer at Ft. Leavenworth, wrote the Quartermaster General of the United States Army, recon'n'ending the establishntent of a Military Post at or near the junction of the Republican and Snfoky Hill Rivers. Major E. A. Ogden, the Quar- termaster at Ft. Leavenworth, left that post in October, 1852, under orders to select the site for the new post. Major R. l-1. Chilton with Troop B, First Dragoons,escorted Major Ogden from Ft. Leavenworth to the junction of the two rivers where Camp Center was established. On May 17th, 1853, the name was changed to Fort Riley in honor of General Bennett C. Riley of the United States Army, who guarded the Sante Fe Trail and fought in the war with Mexico. ' Temporary quarters were erected during the years 1853 and 1854, and in December, 1854, Congress made appropria- tion for quarters and stables for five troops of cavalry. Buildings were to be built of stone, taken from the quarries in the vicinity. Major Ogden was placed in charge of the work and shipments Of building material were received at Ft. Leaven- worth by boat, and were hauled to Fort Riley by wagon. The post was built around a parallelogram 553 x 606 feet, with six two story buildings. The officers quarters consisted of six two story buildings, each 40 x60 feet. One of these was for the commanding officer and the other five each contained two sets of quarters. As the post grew, other buildings were added, including a stone hospital, ordnance building, five stables, a brick magazine and a two story guard house. lt was just at the beginning of the construction work in August, 1855, that an epidemic of cholera broke out in the Camp, and before its ravages ceased, had exacted a toll of upward of 100 lives, including that of Major Ogden. The epidemic was stamped out and the construction continued. Major Ogden was buried on a hill overlooking the Post but his body was lat.er disinterred, and taken to Unadilla, N. Y. The monument erected on this hill to his memory islsaid to mark the geographical center of the United States. The reservation as at first established included a large tract of land along the left bank of the Kansas and Republican Rivers, extending across the latter to Smoky Hill. On March 2nd, 1867, Congress reduced the size of the reservation by releasing that portion lying between the Republican and Smoky Hill Rivers. This portion was given to the State of Kansas to aid in the construction of a bridge Over the Republican River, on the highway leading to the Fort, with the understanding that the State was to keep the bridge in good repair, and that the United States should have the use of it for all time to come. This reduced size of the reservation about 4,000 acres. The territory of Kansas was organized under date of May 30th, 1854, andthe capitol was located in the town of Pawnee, which is now a part of the Reservation. One acre, on which is located the walls of the old territorial capitol was turned over to the State of Kansas, by the Secretary of War, under authority of act of Congress dated February 26 1908, and the building was repaired for preservation by the Kansas State Historical Society. The first Kansas Legislature met there on july 2nd, 1855, remaining in session only a few days, when it adjourned to Shawnee Mission near Kansas City, Missouri. ' General P. H. Sheridan appointed General-in-Chief of the United States Arm in 1883, recomm - ment of the Post, and in 1886 the Kansas Legislature adopted a resolution requirinig Senators and Reprggglagrltiixs clhlgggg- gress from that State to use their power and influence to secure an appropriation to carry out the ideas of the Gene,-a1-in Chief of the Army. ln 1887 an appropriation was made by Congress for the purpose of establishing a permanent scho 1 of instruction for drill and practice for the cavalry and light artillery service in the Army of the United States and wh' ch shall be the depot to which all recruits for such service shall be sentg and for the purpose of construction of such uart lc barracks and stables as may be required to carry into effect the purposes of this Act. q ers' This appropriation marked the beginning of a series of improvements which amounted ract' 4 - ' - of the Post. Appropriations followed in 1896, 1900 and by the Act of April 23rd, 1904, th? SLl1TlC?3TyS4l-18 1101800 livuagdang propriated for a modern military hospital. The following year, an appropriation was made for a road through the reselfz vation. ' 1 .The Camp of Instruction and M' 'ary Manuevers at Fort Rile in recent ears has iven th ' able reputation in military circles. 'l..c Medical Ofhcers' TrainingyCamp estabblished ingjune, F9lT7n.griwmS?1Elre1S ialacfqrd bounds, quickly outgrowing quarters in the main post, consisting of a school building and barracks, facing the aiftiller parade, and one small room to the left of the main entrance of the one story building directly east ,of the head uarterbg building of the Old Post, which served as headquarters for the Commanding Officer. Upon the expansion of th? Cam newly constructed quarters were taken over north of the Golden Belt Highway and with continued increase in number? the summer quarters of the 16th, 20th and 21st troops of cavalry became a part of the Medical Camp. 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