Fort Logan was a military installation located eight miles southwest of

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

. It was established in October 1887, when the first soldiers camped on the land, and lasted until 1946, when it was closed following the end of

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 opposing ...

. After the fort closed the site was used as a mental health center and part of the land was set aside for the

Fort Logan National Cemetery Fort Logan National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in Denver, Colorado. Fort Logan, a former U.S. Army installation, was named after Union General John A. Logan, commander of US Volunteer forces during the American Civil War. It c ...

History

Toward the end of the 19th century, conflicts between Native Americans and expanding American interests were becoming less common. The

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

began looking to cut costs by closing isolated frontier forts and start using the railroads to transport troops and supplies. In 1886, prominent Denver citizens, looking to boost the local economy, raised money and donated land to bring an Army fort to the area. In October 1887 the first soldiers arrived from posts in

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

and camped in 26 tents on the site that was at the time simply called the "Camp Near the City of Denver." The camp was a treeless plateau located about eight miles southwest of the city. Unofficially the local citizens began to refer to it as "Fort Sheridan" after General

Philip Sheridan General of the Army Philip Henry Sheridan (March 6, 1831 – August 5, 1888) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. His career was noted for his rapid rise to major general and his close as ...

who had selected the site. Sheridan preferred having his name associated with a fort north of Chicago and on 5 April 1889, had the camp designated "Fort Logan" after

John Alexander Logan John Alexander Logan (February 9, 1826 – December 26, 1886) was an American soldier and politician. He served in the Mexican–American War and was a general in the Union Army in the American Civil War. He served the state of Illinois as a ...

. This new "urban-type" fort began construction quickly, though the final buildings were not completed until 1897. The fort had a parade ground and quarters, including the 1888 building for Field Officer's Quarters by Frank J. Godavent which still stands today and was restored in 2009. As infantry barracks were completed, the 7th Infantry left

Fort Laramie, Wyoming Fort Laramie is a town in Goshen County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 230 at the 2010 census. The town is named after historic Fort Laramie, an important stop on the Oregon, California and Mormon trails, as well as a staging point ...

, and made Fort Logan their permanent home. In 1894, the first cavalry units were posted to Fort Logan and remained until 1904. Troops from Fort Logan participated in military actions right from the start. In December 1890, troops were deployed to

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large porti ...

to intercept Sioux tribal bands. In 1894 troops were called in to quell civil strife resulting from Governor

Davis Hanson Waite Davis Hanson Waite (April 9, 1825 – November 27, 1901) was an American politician. He was a member of the Populist Party, and he served as the eighth Governor of Colorado from 1893 to 1895. Biography Early years Davis Hanson Waite was bor ...

's siege of city hall. Later in the year they were deployed south during the

Pullman Strike The Pullman Strike was two interrelated strikes in 1894 that shaped national labor policy in the United States during a period of deep economic depression. First came a strike by the American Railway Union (ARU) against the Pullman factory in Chi ...

. Units from Fort Logan also participated in the 1898

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...

. In 1908 the site added 340 acres, bringing their total to 940 acres. In 1909 the fort was made a recruit depot and continued in that role until 1922. In 1927 an Engineering unit occupied Fort Logan and made major updates to the site during the Great Depression. On 1 March 1941, the

Army Air Corps Army Air Corps may refer to the following army aviation corps: * Army Air Corps (United Kingdom), the army aviation element of the British Army * Philippine Army Air Corps (1935–1941) * United States Army Air Corps (1926–1942), or its p ...

moved an Army Air Forces Clerical School to Fort Logan from Lowry Army Airfield. Thus the installation came under the control of

Western Technical Training Command Western Technical Training Command was a command of the United States Army Air Forces. It was assigned to the Army Air Forces Training Command, and stationed at Denver, Colorado throughout its existence. It was inactivated on 15 October 1945. ...

. In 1942 the Administrative Inspector School was opened which trained air inspectors. In April 1944, Fort Logan was transferred from the

to the AAF

Air Service Command The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

for training injured soldiers in civilian trades. In addition the fort was briefly used as a prisoner of war camp in 1943 and 1944. After the war the fort was declared surplus and negotiating over what to do with the land commenced. Some land was sold, 75 acres (including the burial ground) were set aside for the

, and the rest was donated to the state of Colorado. The state used the site as a mental health center and the first patients were admitted in 1961. In 1991 the center was renamed to the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Fort Logan.

People

*From 1889 to 1897, Medal of Honor recipient and Civil War veteran, Major General Henry C. Merriam, then Colonel, was commander of the 7th Infantry Regiment assigned to the fort. *From 1901 to 1902, Medal of Honor recipient and Civil War veteran, Lieutenant General Arthur MacArthur, Jr., father of General Douglas MacArthur, was commandant of the fort.IDA.net – Historic Forts of The Old West
*From 1924 to 1925, US President and General

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

, then Major, was a recruiting officer at the fort.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Logan, Fort Military installations closed in 1946 Military installations in Colorado Morgan

History

People

See also

References

External links