Camp Dewey (1)

Camp Dewey (1) (1898-1898) - A Spanish American War National Guard muster camp established in 1898 near Sioux Falls, Minnehaha County, South Dakota. Named Camp Dewey after Commodore George Dewey who defeated the Spanish Fleet at Manila Bay on 30 Apr 1898. Abandoned in 1898. Railroad Tracks at the Camp Dewey Location. The 1888 Drake Springs Structure at the Camp Dewey Location. Camp Dewey in 1898. Camp Dewey Location as it appears in 2020 now Nelson Park. The railroad tracks that appear in many period pgotographs are located in back of the sports complex along the river. History Established in 1898 as a short-lived Spanish American War muster camp for South Dakota National Guard troops. After the declaration of war on 25 Apr 1898, President William McKinley asked for 125,000 volunteers and South Dakota’s quota was 1,000 men. The assembled men of the SD National Guard at Camp Dewey were discharged from the Guard to enlist in the Volunteers. The 1st South Dakota Volunteer Infantry Regiment was mustered into service on 13 May 1898 at Sioux Falls. The regiment was commanded by Colonel Alfred S. Frost with 1,004 officers and men in twelve companies. The 1st South Dakota regiment departed Sioux Falls on 28 May 1898 and arrived in San Francisco on 2 Jun 1898 where they camped at Camp Merritt near Golden Gate Park. On 22 Jul 1898, they boarded transports for the Philippines arriving in Manila Bay on 27 Aug 1898. They were a part of the Manila garrison and fought in the Philippine Insurrection until they returned home in October 1899. The muster camp was abandoned later in 1898. Current Status No remains, now part of Nelson Park in Sioux Falls. Location: Nelson Park, E 10th St. and Cliff Ave., Sioux Falls, Minnehaha County, South Dakota. Maps & Images Lat: 43.54506 Long: -96.71319 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 1,400' GPS Locations: 43.54506, -96.71319 Camp Dewey Location See Also: Spanish American War Spanish American War Camps Sources: Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 728. Links: North American Forts - Camp Dewey SDPB - Camp Dewey, Sioux Falls, 1898 US Gen Net - Spanish American War Camps Visited: 10 Jul 2020