Fort D.A. Russell was located 3 miles west of Cheyenne, Wyoming on the north bank of Crow Creek, a branch of the South Platte River. It was named in honor of Brig. Gen. David A. Russell, who was killed in the Battle of Opequan, VA on September 19, 1864. The post was established to protect Union Pacific Railroad workers and was first garrisoned on July 21, 1867, when Col. John D. Stevenson arrived at the site with Companies B, K, and G, 30th U.S. Infantry. First known as the Post on Crow Creek, the installation was officially designated Fort D.A. Russell by General Order 33, Department of the Platte, dated July 31, 1867. On October 14, 1904, the former Crow Creek Forest Reserve was designated the Fort D.A. Russell Target and Maneuver Reservation per War Department General Order 162. During the summers of 1906, 1908 and 1910, temporary camps of instruction were established on the target and maneuver reservation. Fort D.A. Russell was renamed Fort Francis E. Warren on January 1, 1930. On April 1, 1948, the reservation was transferred to the Department of the Air Force. (Records of the U.S. Army Continental Commands)
Other Names:
Post on Crow Creek, Fort Russell, Fort David A. Russell, Fort Warren, Fort F. E. Warren, Fort Francis E. Warren, Francis E. Warren Air Force Base
County:
Laramie
Feature Category:
Manmade Features
Alternate Spellings:
Fort DA Russell
More Reading:
Holland, Stephen L. From Mules to Missiles: A History of Francis E. Warren Air Force Base and Its Predecessors, Fort David A. Russell and Fort Francis E. Warren. United States Dept. of the Air Force, 1987.
