Camp McKinley (1)

Camp McKinley (1) (1898-1898) - A Spanish American War muster camp for the 2nd Oregon Volunteer Infantry established 29 Apr 1898 on the grounds of Irvington Racetrack in northeast Portland, Oregon. Named after then President William McKinley. Probably disestablished 19 may 1898 when federal property was removed. Irving Park site of Irvington Racetrack and Camp McKinley East end of Irving Park, site of Irvington Racetrack and Camp McKinley Camp McKinley (1) History Camp McKinley was established 29 Apr 1898 to house the Federalized Oregon National Guard, 2nd Oregon Volunteer Infantry, in response to the start of the Spanish American War. One hundred sixty-one tents were pitched on the grounds of the Irvington Racetrack in northeast Portland. The Irvington Racetrack occupied the area currently bounded by NE Fremont St., NE 7th Ave, NE 12th Ave, and probably to about NE Knott or NE Brazee. The current Irving Park was the location of the barns and stables. The first company of soldiers arrived 30 Apr 1898. On 11 May 1898, first battalion of the regiment (Companies A, B, C and D) boarded a train to the Presidio of San Francisco bound for the Philippines. The remaining troops (Companies E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L and M) followed on 16 May 1898. They spent 12 months fighting in the Philippines and returned home to a hero's welcome Jul 1899. Current Status {"selectable":false,"height":"-500","width":"-500"} Location: Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon. Maps & Images Lat: 45.54222 Long: -122.65611 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 180' Sources: Carey, Charles H., History of Oregon, The Pioneer Historical Publishing Company, Chicago-Portland, 1922, 1016 pages, page 831. Oregon Military History, Forts-Camps-Roads McArthur, Lewis A. & McArthur, Lewis L., Oregon Geographic Names, Oregon Historical Society Press; 7 edition (December 2003), 1073 pages, ISBN 0875952771, ISBN 978-0875952772, page 149-150. 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 666-667 Links: North American Forts - Camp McKinley Oregon Historical Society Irvington Community Association Visited: 10 Nov 2007