Camp Doniphan was a military base adjacent to Fort Sill, just outside Lawton, in Comanche County, Oklahoma, that was activated for use in World War I for artillery training. "Camp Doniphan part of Fort Sill" World War 1 Centennial Commission Website The post was closed in 1918 and incorporated into Fort Sill. "The WW1 Era: Camp Doniphan" history.army.mil
History The camp was named for Alexander William Doniphan, a hero of the Mexican–American War from the Missouri Volunteers of Northwestern Missouri. It was from this camp that thousands of soldiers, from Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri, were given basic training prior to being sent to Camp Mills, Mineola, Long Island, New York; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; or Camp Merritt, Dumont, New Jersey, for embarkation to France. The camp contained 1,267 buildings, the majority of which were tents, over a area.Topographic map, Camp Doniphan, Fort Sill, Okla. - Oklahoma State University Digital Library
The camp was home of the 35th Infantry Division, made up of the National Guard of Kansas and Missouri.History of the 35th Infantry Division (ID) "Santa Fe" - at Army.milHistory of the 35th Infantry Division - at KFOR 9Fort Sill search - at the Kansas City Public LibraryThe 35th Infantry Division in the Great War - at the Museum of the Kansas National Guard It became part of the United States Army Field Artillery School, and included the 128th Field Artillery Regiment and 129th Field Artillery Regiment of Missouri, 130th Field Artillery Regiment of Kansas, and the 158th Field Artillery Regiment of Oklahoma.Connelley, William E (1928). "The 35th Infantry Division in the Great War" - History of Kansas: State and People, Volume II. Chicago: The American Historical Society. pp. 889-893.Chronological Record of the 129th Field Artillery 1917-1919 - the Truman Library2Lt. Erwin Russell Bleckley - at the Museum of the Kansas National Guard1st Battalion - 158th Field Artillery (MLRS) - at GlobalSecurity.org Harry S. Truman was stationed at Camp Doniphan from September 1917 until March 1918, and he was assigned to run the regimental canteen.McCullough, David (1992). Truman. New York: Simon and Schuster, p.105-110. Gilwee, William J. Capt. Harry Truman Artilleryman and Future President - at the Doughboy CenterOral History Interview with Ted Marks - at the Truman Library It was here that he made Edward Jacobson his business partner.McCullough, p. 107
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