Fort D. A. Russell, also known as Fort Francis E. Warren, Francis E. Warren Air Force Base and Fort David A. Russell, was a post and base of operations for the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

, and later the

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

, located in

Cheyenne, Wyoming Cheyenne ( or ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming, as well as the county seat of Laramie County, with 65,132 residents, per the 2020 US Census. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne metropolitan statistical ...

. The fort had been established in 1867 to protect workers for the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

. It was named in honor of

David Allen Russell David Allen Russell (December 10, 1820 – September 19, 1864) was a career United States Army officer who served in the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. He was killed in action as a brigadier general in the Union Army. Early l ...

, a Civil War general killed at the

Battle of Opequon The Third Battle of Winchester, also known as the Battle of Opequon or Battle of Opequon Creek, was an American Civil War battle fought near Winchester, Virginia, on September 19, 1864. Union Army Major General Philip Sheridan defeated Confederate ...

. In 1930, the fort's name was changed to Fort Francis E. Warren. In 1949, it became

Francis E. Warren Air Force Base Francis E. Warren Air Force Base , shortened as F.E. Warren AFB is a United States Air Force base (AFB) located approximately west of Cheyenne, Wyoming. It is one of three strategic-missile bases in the U.S. It was named in honor of Francis E ...

. Over the years, the base served as home for numerous influential American military leaders such as

Carl Spaatz Carl Andrew Spaatz (born Spatz; June 28, 1891 – July 14, 1974), nicknamed "Tooey", was an American World War II general. As commander of Strategic Air Forces in Europe in 1944, he successfully pressed for the bombing of the enemy's oil product ...

, Black Jack Pershing,

Billy Mitchell William Lendrum Mitchell (December 29, 1879 – February 19, 1936) was a United States Army officer who is regarded as the father of the United States Air Force. Mitchell served in France during World War I and, by the conflict's end, command ...

Walter Reed Walter Reed (September 13, 1851 – November 22, 1902) was a U.S. Army physician who in 1901 led the team that confirmed the theory of Cuban doctor Carlos Finlay that yellow fever is transmitted by a particular mosquito species rather than b ...

, and Mark Clark. A portion of the base was designated a

National Historic Landmark District National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

in 1975, for distinctively preserving many of the stages of its evolution from a frontier cavalry base to an Air Force base. __TOC__

History

Units of the 30th Infantry under Colonel John D. Stevenson began building the fort and nearby quartermaster depot (Cheyenne Depot) in August 1867. In September the first cavalry arrived, Company H of 2nd Cavalry In 1884, it became a permanent base. It was the home to three Black regiments: the

9th 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Arabic digit In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...

and 10th Cavalry and the 24th Infantry (the famous

Buffalo Soldier Buffalo Soldiers originally were members of the 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, formed on September 21, 1866, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. This nickname was given to the Black Cavalry by Native American tribes who fought in th ...

s) for much of the late 19th century. By the turn of the 20th century, Fort D. A. Russell was one of the largest cavalry bases in the United States and several more expansions in the early 20th century further increased its size. In 1919, the airfield became active and soon served as the home field for over 100 military aircraft. During the transition from cavalry to airplanes, the post was commanded by

Edmund Wittenmyer Edmund Wittenmyer (April 25, 1862 − July 5, 1937) was a career officer in the United States Army. A veteran of the Spanish–American War and World War I, in addition to several other conflicts, he attained the rank of major general and was most ...

, a veteran of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The last cavalry units on the post were deactivated in 1927. In 1930, the base was renamed Fort Francis E. Warren.

Warren A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval Angl ...

was a

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

recipient who served as

Governor of Wyoming A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Fort Francis E. Warren served as a training facility for the US Army Quartermaster Corps. A

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

camp was also constructed on the site. In 1949, the base was redesignated the

and became part of the Strategic Air Command in 1958. The base became the headquarters for the 90th Strategic Missile Wing in 1963. The wing controlled over 200

ICBM An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more thermonuclear warheads). Conventional, chemical, and biological weapons c ...

s during the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

. The base was the only missile wing to have

Peacekeeper missile The LGM-118 Peacekeeper, originally known as the MX for "Missile, Experimental", was a MIRV-capable intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) produced and deployed by the United States from 1985 to 2005. The missile could carry up to twelve Mark ...

s which were deactivated in October 2005. On October 1, 1993, the Twentieth Air Force, which controls all of America's ICBM wings, relocated its headquarters to Warren. The fort was designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

on May 15, 1975, while still Francis E. Warren

Air Force Base An air base (sometimes referred to as a military air base, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base) is an aerodrome used as a military base by a military force for the operation ...

. and .

Renovations

The majority of the structures in the historic district have been maintained. At least 88 housing units have been abated for lead and

asbestos Asbestos () is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, each fibre being composed of many microscopic "fibrils" that can be released into the atmosphere b ...

materials. Three buildings were renovated in accordance with standards of the U.S.

Secretary of the Interior Secretary of the Interior may refer to: * Secretary of the Interior (Mexico) * Interior Secretary of Pakistan * Secretary of the Interior and Local Government (Philippines) * United States Secretary of the Interior See also

*Interior ministry ...

. The Air Force was tasked to restore the two deck porches on many buildings in the district.

References

External links

Francis E. Warren AFBFort David A. Russell, Randall Avenue west of First Street, Cheyenne, Laramie, WY
at the

Historic American Buildings Survey Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...

(HABS)
Fort David A. Russell, Artillery Barracks, Randall Avenue between Sixth & Fifth Streets, Cheyenne, Laramie, WY
at HABS
Fort David A. Russell, Artillery Gun Shed, Tenth Cavalry Avenue & First Street, Cheyenne, Laramie, WY
at HABS
Fort David A. Russell, Gymnasium, Randall Avenue between Fourth & Fifth Streets, Cheyenne vicinity, Laramie, WY
at HABS
Fort David A. Russell, N. C. O. Quarters, First Avenue & Eighth Street, Cheyenne, Laramie, WY
at HABS
Fort David A. Russell, Red Cross Building, Third Street between Randall Avenue & Tenth Cavalry Avenue, Cheyenne vicinity, Laramie, WY
at HABS
Fort David A. Russell, Scale House, Fuel Road between Third & Sixth Streets, Cheyenne, Laramie, WY
at HABS
Fort David A. Russell, Veterinary Hospital, Third Street & Second Avenue, Cheyenne, Laramie, WY
at HABS {{National Register of Historic Places National Historic Landmarks in Wyoming Buildings and structures in Cheyenne, Wyoming Russell 1867 establishments in Dakota Territory Wyoming Territory Historic American Buildings Survey in Wyoming Russell Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Wyoming National Register of Historic Places in Cheyenne, Wyoming