Fort Des MoinesOften referred to as "the West Point of the Midwest" because of its majestic red brick buildings and lush tree-lined landscape, Fort Des Moines shaped American history from its inception. Originally located at the fork of the Raccoon and Des Moines Rivers, Fort Des Moines relocated four miles south of the city and began to assume its revolutionary place in military history. By 1909, it was the largest cavalry post in the country, and Pres. William H. Taft chose it as the site of his "Great Tournament" of cavalry units. In 1917, for the first time in American history, African American officers received commissions at Fort Des Moines. Future president Ronald Reagan perfected his equestrian skills on its vast parade ground. The legacy of the cavalry lingered when, in 1942, the fort served as the first training center for the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, and many female recruits found themselves sleeping in cavalry stables converted into barracks. |
Contents
Acknowledgments | 6 |
19421946 | 43 |
The Life of | 79 |
Fort Des Moines Since 1946 | 109 |
Bibliography | 126 |
Common terms and phrases
3rd Regiment African American Army Women's Museum bandstand Boomtown Capt cavalry days Chaffee Road buildings chapel Courtesy Des Moines courtesy Library Courtesy Rosemary Reed Courtesy Woltz Photo Courtesy Women Education Center enlisted men's barracks Fort Des Moines fort's guardhouse headquarters building Iowa Larry Day left to right Library of Congress Lieutenant main post exchange Max Halverson mess halls Military Service Moines Hospital 26 Moines in 1919 Moines Memorial Park Moines Register North Gate number of WAACS Oveta Culp Hobby Park and Education Photograph by Larry pose in front Quarters 400 recruits red brick Register and Tribune renovated Rosemary Reed Powell second row seen service clubs Service for America Stable Row TRAINING CENTER U.S. Army U.S. military WAAC and WAC WAAC officers WAACS arrived WAC band WAC company WACS stand West Gate Winn Area Women in Military Women's Army Corps World World War II wounded soldiers YMCA