Camp Funston (1)

Camp Funston (1) (1917-1919) - A U.S. Army World War I National Army Mobilization and Training Camp first established in 1917 on the Fort Riley reservation, Riley County, Kansas. Named Camp Funston in G.O. 95, 18 Jul 1917, after Brigadier General Frederick L. Funston, a Medal of Honor recipient, a legendary figure in the Philippine insurrection and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Abandoned in 1919.

World War I

One of sixteen U.S. Army National Army Mobilization and Training Camps established in 1917 to train and integrate National Army units for service in a U.S. Army division. Camp Funston was established in July 1917 under the supervision of construction quartermaster Captain Fred J. Herman on a site of about 2,000 acres. The camp was to have a capacity of about 54,000 officers and enlisted men that would become the 89th U.S. Infantry Division. The camp was mostly completed by 1 Sep 1917 by the contractor, George A. Fuller Company, at an eventual cost of $ 10,700,000.

The first commander of the camp was Major General Leonard Wood who formed the 89th U.S. Infantry Division and initiated troop training. The 89th was formed in August 1917 and departed for France in June 1918 The 89th returned to the U.S. in May-June 1919 and was demobilized.

At the end of the war the camp became a demobilization center until it was abandoned in 1919. Camp Funston was torn down in the 1920s and the lumber sold at auction. Camp Funston became a maneuver area.

Current Status

No remains near Fort Riley (2), Riley County, Kansas.

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USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 1802694

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Location:Fort Riley (2), Riley County, Kansas. Maps & Images Lat: 39.0969444 Long: -96.7288889 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 1050'

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 .....
• Ayres, Leonard Porter, The War with Germany: A Statistical Summary, U.S. War Department, 2nd Ed, 1919, 147 pages
• Rinaldi, Richard A., The US Army in World War I - Orders of Battle, Tiger Lily Publications LLC, 2004, 244 pages
• Brief Histories of Divisions, U.S. Army: 1917-1918, U.S.A. General Staff, June 1921, 92 pages
• Morden, Lt. Colonel Earle B., The Work of the Construction Division of the United States Army from Coast to Coast, 1917-1919, The Journal of the Engineers' Club of Philadelphia, Vol XXXVII-3, March 1920, No. 184, (Google Books)

Links:

• North American Forts - Camp Funston
• Wikipedia - Camp Funston
• New River Notes - World War I Forces

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