Fort D. A. Russell, also known as Fort Francis E. Warren, Francis E. Warren Air Force Base and Fort David A. Russell, was a post and base of operations for the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

, and later the

Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

, located in

Cheyenne, Wyoming Cheyenne ( or ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Wyoming, most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming. It is the county seat of Laramie County, Wyoming, Laramie County, with 65,132 reside ...

. The fort had been established in 1867 to protect workers for the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

. It was named in honor of David Allen Russell, a Civil War general killed at the

Battle of Opequon The Third Battle of Winchester, also known as the Battle of Opequon or Battle of Opequon Creek, was an American Civil War battle fought near Winchester, Virginia, on September 19, 1864. Union Army Major General Philip Sheridan defeated Confede ...

. In 1930, the fort's name was changed to Fort Francis E. Warren. In 1949, it became Francis E. Warren Air Force Base. Over the years, the base served as home for numerous influential American military leaders such as

Carl Spaatz Carl Andrew Spaatz (born Spatz; 28 June 1891 – 14 July 1974), nicknamed "Tooey", was an American World War II general. As commander of Strategic Air Forces in Europe in 1944, he successfully pressed for the bombing of the enemy's oil productio ...

, Black Jack Pershing,

Billy Mitchell William Lendrum Mitchell (December 29, 1879 – February 19, 1936) was a United States Army officer who had a major role in the creation of the United States Air Force. Mitchell served in France during World War I and, by the conflict's end, ...

Walter Reed Walter Reed (September 13, 1851 – November 23, 1902) was a United States Army, U.S. Army physician who in 1901 led the team that confirmed the theory of Cuban doctor Carlos Finlay that yellow fever is transmitted by a particular mosquito ...

, and Mark Clark. A portion of the base was designated a

National Historic Landmark District A National Historic Landmark District (NHLD) is a geographical area that has received recognition from the United States Government that the buildings, landscapes, cultural features and archaeological resources within it are of the highest signific ...

in 1975, for distinctively preserving many of the stages of its evolution from a frontier cavalry base to an Air Force base. __TOC__

History

Units of the 30th Infantry under Colonel John D. Stevenson began building the fort and nearby quartermaster depot (Cheyenne Depot) in August 1867. In September the first cavalry arrived, Company H of 2nd Cavalry In 1884, it became a permanent base. It was the home to three Black regiments: the 9th and 10th Cavalry and the 24th Infantry (the famous Buffalo Soldiers) for much of the late 19th century. By the turn of the 20th century, Fort D. A. Russell was one of the largest cavalry bases in the United States and several more expansions in the early 20th century further increased its size. In 1919, the airfield became active and soon served as the home field for over 100 military aircraft. During the transition from cavalry to airplanes, the post was commanded by Edmund Wittenmyer, a veteran of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. The last cavalry units on the post were deactivated in 1927. In 1930, the base was renamed Fort Francis E. Warren. Warren was a

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

recipient who served as

Governor of Wyoming A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Fort Francis E. Warren served as a training facility for the US Army Quartermaster Corps. A

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

camp was also constructed on the site. In 1949, the base was redesignated the Francis E. Warren Air Force Base and became part of the

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile compon ...

in 1958. The base became the headquarters for the 90th Strategic Missile Wing in 1963. The wing controlled over 200

ICBM An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range (aeronautics), range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more Thermonuclear weapon, thermonuclear warheads). Conven ...

s during the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

. The base was the only missile wing to have

Peacekeeper missile The LGM-118 Peacekeeper, originally known as the MX for "Missile, Experimental", was a MIRV-capable intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) produced and deployed by the United States from 1986 to 2005. The missile could carry up to eleven Mark ...

s which were deactivated in October 2005. On October 1, 1993, the

Twentieth Air Force The Twentieth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) (20th AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming. 20 AF's primary mission is Intercon ...

, which controls all of America's ICBM wings, relocated its headquarters to Warren. The fort was designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

on May 15, 1975, while still Francis E. Warren Air Force Base. and .

Renovations

The majority of the structures in the historic district have been maintained. At least 88 housing units have been abated for lead and

asbestos Asbestos ( ) is a group of naturally occurring, Toxicity, toxic, carcinogenic and fibrous silicate minerals. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous Crystal habit, crystals, each fibre (particulate with length su ...

materials. Three buildings were renovated in accordance with standards of the U.S. Secretary of the Interior. The Air Force was tasked to restore the two deck porches on many buildings in the district.

References

External links

Francis E. Warren AFBFort David A. Russell, Randall Avenue west of First Street, Cheyenne, Laramie, WY
at the

Historic American Buildings Survey The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...

(HABS)
Fort David A. Russell, Artillery Barracks, Randall Avenue between Sixth & Fifth Streets, Cheyenne, Laramie, WY
at HABS
Fort David A. Russell, Artillery Gun Shed, Tenth Cavalry Avenue & First Street, Cheyenne, Laramie, WY
at HABS
Fort David A. Russell, Gymnasium, Randall Avenue between Fourth & Fifth Streets, Cheyenne vicinity, Laramie, WY
at HABS
Fort David A. Russell, N. C. O. Quarters, First Avenue & Eighth Street, Cheyenne, Laramie, WY
at HABS
Fort David A. Russell, Red Cross Building, Third Street between Randall Avenue & Tenth Cavalry Avenue, Cheyenne vicinity, Laramie, WY
at HABS
Fort David A. Russell, Scale House, Fuel Road between Third & Sixth Streets, Cheyenne, Laramie, WY
at HABS
Fort David A. Russell, Veterinary Hospital, Third Street & Second Avenue, Cheyenne, Laramie, WY
at HABS
"World War II POW Camps of Wyoming with Author Cheryl O'Brien" on YouTube
{{National Register of Historic Places National Historic Landmarks in Wyoming Buildings and structures in Cheyenne, Wyoming 1867 establishments in Dakota Territory Wyoming Territory Historic American Buildings Survey in Wyoming Russell Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Wyoming National Register of Historic Places in Cheyenne, Wyoming

History

Renovations

See also

References

External links