Fort
Harrison was authorized by an act of Congress in 1892.
The Fort was originally named Fort Benjamin Harrison
in compliment to the then President. The name was changed
in 1906 to eliminate duplication with a fort in Indiana.
The military reservation was acquired by donations through
the efforts of Col. C.A. Broadwater (who owned the adjoining
Broadwater Hotel and Natatorium), the local Optimist
Club, and interested private parties.
The
Fort was built from 1894 to 1896. In 1895, a detachment
of the Hospital Corps from Fort Assinboine south of
Havre and several small military posts, which were
scheduled to close in the Dakotas, began training
at the post. The Montana National Guard began utilizing
Fort Harrison for training in 1911, after abandoning
Fort Ellis near Bozeman.
Postcard
featuring Fort Harrison, published by Helena's A. P Curtin
Co., circa 1900
Fort
Harrison Band, about 1910
Rare
Token from the Fort Harrison Post Exchange. Date Unknown
Fort
Harrison was abandoned in 1913 and left in the charge
of a caretaker by the U.S. Army. The Montana National
Guard occupied the Fort in September 1915, beginning
the development of the military post we see today.
In
June 1916, the Montana National Guard was notified
by the War Department to mobilize to guard the U.S.-
Mexican border. With the start of World War I, the
Guard was again trained and mobilized in 1917 to protect
major railroad and industrial facilities, until they
could be dispatched to eastern camps and eventually
overseas.
Fort
Harrison, looking NW from the hills, 1923
Soldiers
Quarters
After
World War I, the Fort became a Public Health Service
hospital and eventually a Veterans Administration
medical facility (No. 72). During the first years,
it was designated as a tuberculosis hospital and expanded
to 300 beds. In 1925, the designation was changed
to a general medical and surgical hospital.
Fort
Harrison Hospital, ca. 1928
COURTESY
OF TOM KILMER • CLICK ON IMAGE
FOR A LARGE VERSION IN A NEW WINDOW
New
Hospital, 1932
Bricks Were Made Just One Mile Away •
Granite Quarried at Clancy
1932
Hospital
The
hospital was damaged by the 1935 earthquakes. It reopened
in 1937.
1st
Special Service Force Training, 1942-43
During
the Second World War, the U.S. Army assumed control
of Forth Harrison, and used it for very new and distinctive
military units. These units included the 1st
Special Service Force, the 474th Quartermaster Truck
Regiment, and the War Dog Training Center (Camp Rimini).
First
Special Service Force Shoulder Patch
The
Devil's Brigade (also called The Black Devils and
The Black Devils' Brigade), officially the 1st Special
Service Force, was a joint World War II American-Canadian
commando unit organized in 1942 and trained at Fort
William Henry Harrison near Helena, Montana in the
United States. The brigade fought in the Aleutian
Islands, Italy, and southern France before being disbanded
in December 1944. The modern American and Canadian
Special Forces units trace their heritage to this
unit.
1st
Special Forces Ceremony at the Fort, 1943
On
April 6 1943, the First Special Service Force paraded
down Main St., on their way to the European front...
"Devil's Brigade - To Helena and Back" - Part
1
Documentary
about the US-Canadian First Special Service Force in
WW2. Specifically about many of the men that returned
to live in Helena, Montana after the disbandment of
the Force and the end of the war. Written, produced
and directed by Ray Ekness.
"Devil's
Brigade - To Helena and Back" - Part 2
"Devil's
Brigade - To Helena and Back" - Part 3
Machine
Gun on Fixed Display at the Fort, 1940s
COURTESY
OF TOM KILMER
This
gun was on the south side of the circular drive which
runs through the campus. Your editor remembers it from
the mid-1950s
Veterans'
Bedside Network, 1950
PHOTOS
FROM THE COLLECTION OF KENNON BAIRD
CLICK ON IMAGE FOR A BIG VIEW IN A
NEW WINDOW
Fort
Harrison had an internal "radio station",
broadcasting information and entertainment to the hospital
wards and, presumably, to other parts of the Fort. These
studio photos were taken in 1950, although the service
had evidently been operating since at least 1948. Any
additional information will be most appreciated.
Veterans
of Foreign Wars Dignitaries in the Studio, 1950
CLICK
ON IMAGE FOR A BIG VIEW IN A NEW WINDOW
The
man wearing the bow tie is VFW commander in chief
Clyde A. Lewis, from Plattsburg, NY. The metal plaque
on the front of the desk reads:
Donated
by
Ladies V. F. W. Auxiliaries
Department of Montana
Record Cabinet, Announcers Desk 1948-1949
Filing case, Tape Recorder, Record Cabinet 1950
CLICK
ON IMAGE FOR A BIG VIEW IN A NEW WINDOW
CLICK
ON IMAGE FOR A BIG VIEW IN A NEW WINDOW
Singer
Nelson Eddy Visits Fort Harrison, Broadcasts Over Bedside
Network, 1950
New
Hospital and Other Upgrades
Since
1947, the Fort has been used for training by numerous
active and inactive combats, support and combat service
support units. Numerous major improvements and increased
training facilities were completed at Fort Harrison
in 2001.
