Wisconsin's Camp McCoy

I have been writing about Camp McCoy/Fort McCoy in my Tattooed On Your Soul World War II blog.

From www.mccoy.army.mil.  Fort McCoy History.

Named after General Robert Bruce McCoy who was instrumental in getting the post established.  After the Spanish-American War he envisioned the site as a place to train artillerymen.

In 1906, Secretary of War William Howard Taft proposed the construction of four large camps across the U.S. for the training of regular Army and National Guard units.

In 1909, Camp Robinson and Camp Emory Upton were established.  The site soon proved to be an excellent field artillery training site and was much-used for that purpose.

Improvements and additions were made between 1910 and 1919.  This included rifle ranges, office buildings and storehouses.  Until 1919, the camp was a favorite for artillery and at one time was described as the  largest, most modern and beautiful installations in the nation.

It continued to grow through World War I with the construction of barracks, mess halls, stables and  warehouses.

Field artillery units trained there throughout the war and into 1918.

--Cooter