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Blog Entry 1 of 16 Old Fort Carson

A running history of Fort Carson, from its beginnings in World War II. I know some of it. You fill in the rest.

Blog Url: http://coloradosprings.yourhub.com/~oldcarson

Carson's Beginnings

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Contributed by: Dave Hughes on 3/29/2007

How many of you were around El Paso Country when Fort Carson was established? (first called Camp Carson, for it was only supposed to exist 5 years)

I was.

How many of you know that the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce put up $25,000 to buy the Mary Ellen Ranch - now called the Turkey Creek Ranch and GAVE it to the Federal Government in 1941 to induce it to start an Army Post?

Colorado Springs knew that gas rationing would be coming, and that would kill the fledgling car-based Tourism the Springs was beginning to depend on (it didn't have much of anything else going for it after the 1930s).

So it bid for an Army base. And Carson

Now can any of you who live around there add to this?

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Showing 1-6 of 6 comments

Submitted By: Dave Hughes

posted on 3/30/2007 @ 8:18:24 PM

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The main construction of the Post was done by November 1942. Not only could it house a full Infantry Division, but it had s Prisoner of War Internment Camp where German and Italian POWs were housed. The 89th Infantry Division was the first unit to arrive at the Post, which had room enough to train that type of unit. (remember this fact when we get to 1968). In all over 100,000 soldiers were trained during WWII at Camp Carson

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Submitted By: Dave Hughes

posted on 3/30/2007 @ 8:13:32 AM

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Because the first acreage was bought with private donations and given to the Army even before Carson was formally established, the first building was built on that land before the end of January, 1942! During 1942 11,000 contruction workers were put to work building the Army Post, some of them 24/7! To get the job done faster, the post was laid out more going 'with' the lay of the land than to try and grade and level the whole main part of the Post. THAT is why what has always been called 'The Banana' - the gently curving troop area in the south end looks the way it still does today!

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Submitted By: Dave Hughes

posted on 3/30/2007 @ 8:12:53 AM

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Well quickly in 1942 the US Government purchased another 29,676 acres, and got 262 acres from the Department of Interior, and it leased another 24,577 acres. There sure was NOT any resistance from the private owners, whose own economies were struggling - not like the ranchers in Southern Colorado who are objecting to the Expansion of Pinon Canyon. The actual opening of 'Camp Carson' came on January 6th, 1942 - just a month after Pearl Harbor! So local leaders led by Russell Law, Doug Jardine, had been working on getting an Army base here in El Paso County for over a year. They saw WWII coming, and while they were interested in America winning any war with Hitler, they were even more interested in what it might do for the local economy!

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Submitted By: Dave Hughes

posted on 3/30/2007 @ 8:09:19 AM

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So to correct my original posting, actually $28,000 was raised from local businessmen, which not only purchased the Turkey Creek property but also 'Cheyenne Valley Ranch, 5,533 acres. Now I was just a 14 year old local kid then - a rare breed, Colorado Native. I dimly remember the announcement of the coming Army Post. Which would have as many people as the entire City! (now how big was Fountain in 1942? Couldn't be more than a few thousand could it?)

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Submitted By: Dave Hughes

posted on 3/30/2007 @ 8:08:11 AM

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The actual opening of 'Camp Carson' came on January 6th, 1942 - just a month after Pearl Harbor! But with the Great Depression of the previous decade having already hit Colorado Springs Tourism hard the future of the town, which had less than 40,000 population, looked bleak. So local leaders led by Russell Law, Doug Jardine, had been working on getting an Army base here in El Paso County for over a year. They saw WWII coming, and while they were interested in America winning any war with Hitler, they were even more interested in what it might do for the local economy! Now I was just a 14 year old local kid then - a rare breed, Colorado Native. I dimly remember the announcement of the coming Army Post. Which would have as many people as the entire City! (now how big was Fountain in 1942? Couldn't be more than a few thousand could it?)

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Submitted By: Dave Hughes

posted on 3/30/2007 @ 7:36:42 AM

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Well here, in the Blogs, one can continue their discussion. So I will continue this 'running accout' of Fort Carson history. Why? because as the old saying goes, "Those who don't know their history are doomed to repeat it" And in the case of Carson - while lots of folks just assume Carson - and all its economic benefits for Colorado Springs, Fountain, Widefield, Security will go on forever, it ain't necessarily so. Several times the entire Post was in danger of being closed down - and it can happen again unless some political leaders wake up to the realities. So I will be interested in your opinions, as well as facts about the 'Mountain Post' that brings even me up to date. For its many years since I was on and close to the post. You know more about Fort Carson today than I do!

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