Details
Collection: 00032 - North Dakota Oral History Project Photograph Collection
Folder: RY-01
Item: 00019
Title: Putting roof on building at Camp Grafton Devils Lake (N.D.)
Date: 1903
Creator: Harrison, Job V. (Job Vincent),--1873-1955
Inscription/Marks: [facsimile file] Imprinted on front: "J.V. Harrison, Rock Lake, N.D. The Red, White and Blue Art Gallery." Written in pencil on back: "Camp Grafton, 1903." Stamped on back: "Arthur A. Powell." [history] Camp Grafton is the main Army National Guard installation in North Dakota. The base, located near Devils Lake, North Dakota, was founded in 1904 as the Rock Island Military Reservation, but later renamed after Gilbert C. Grafton. [Camp Gilbert C. Grafton (Camp Grafton) History-http://nd.ng.mil/about/history/campgraftonhistory/Pages/default.aspx] The story of Camp Gilbert C. Grafton dates back to 1867 when Fort Totten was established by Brig. Gen. Alfred H. Terry as one of several forts in Dakota Territory, which were built to protect prospectors traveling to Montana and Idaho where gold was discovered in 1862. The Fort Totten Military Reservation was officially created on January 11, 1870, pursuant to an executive order signed by President Ulysses S. Grant. Initially, the Fort Totten Military Reservation included 11,000 acres and was located within the borders of the Devils Lake Reservation, also established in 1867. Rock Island, the site of modern-day Camp Grafton, was annexed to the Fort Totten Military Reservation on October 7, 1873, when GÇ£all the islands in Minnewaukan or Devils Lake are hereby added to the present military reservation of Fort Totten, Dakota Territory,GÇ¥ by executive order of President Grant. The GÇ£islandsGÇ¥ held a heavy stand of timber, intended to be used by Fort Totten as a both fuel and building material. Because of ample timber present there, Rock Island became known as the Fort Totten Wood Reservation during this time. Due to a drop in the water level of Devils Lake, it was later discovered that two of the GÇ£islandsGÇ¥ had become GÇ£peninsulasGÇ¥ GÇô Grahams Island and Rock Island. In 1881, President Rutherford B. Hayes signed an executive order that changed the boundaries of the Fort Totten Military Reservation to include the two GÇ£peninsulas.GÇ¥ By 1890, Fort TottenGÇÖs importance as a frontier military garrison had decreased, and the post was closed. As the U.S. Army departed Fort Totten, it turned the fortGÇÖs buildings and grounds over to the Department of the Interior for use as an GÇ£industrial training school for the Indian youth.GÇ¥ On July 6, 1894, the Fort Totten Wood Reservation was ceded to the state of North Dakota for "the use of the militia of the state and for the public purposes not inconsistent with such use." A concurrent resolution passed by the 4th North Dakota Legislative Assembly in 1895 accepted the land donation on behalf of the state of North Dakota. The transfer included the southern two miles of the Rock Island peninsula. Today, Camp Grafton contains 1,600 acres, most of which are heavily-wooded and ideal for military training. The individual generally credited with securing the site as a permanent camp for the North Dakota National Guard (NDNG) was Heber M. Creel, a prominent Devils Lake businessman. While serving as an Army officer stationed at Fort Totten, he conducted the original survey of the fort. After his resignation from the U.S. Army, and several years of service in the NDNG, Creel was appointed North DakotaGÇÖs adjutant general in 1905 and served in that capacity until 1907. The NDNGGÇÖs first encampment at what is now Camp Grafton was held in July 1891. A lack of funding delayed the development of the site for the Guard for several years. The first camp improvement project was undertaken in 1896 when an area was cleared for a parade ground that exists to this day. The first building at the site, a stone warehouse for storing tents and other equipment, was completed in 1902. Additionally, further construction in the form of a wood-frame caretakerGÇÖs residence, a water tank, and tower were also added to the site, as well as a rifle range for marksmanship training. Two years later, a horse barn was built and saw extensive use during the annual encampment periods. By 1906, the estimated value of the buildings, land, timber and cost of camp improvements at the training site was approximately $200,000. An annual state appropriation of $500 began in 1915. These funds were used for the protection of the timber and improvements to the parade ground and roads. By 1926, nearly $100,000 of state and federal funds had been expended for construction, repairs and maintenance of the camp grounds and buildings. As the roaring 1920GÇÖs drew to a close, Camp Gilbert C. Grafton boasted its own water and sewer system, two incinerators, an electric lighting system, three combined bat houses and latrines, a concrete kitchen and mess hall for officers, fifteen concrete kitchens and mess halls for enlisted men, a partially-enclosed shed for 15 vehicles, several warehouses including the two story stone warehouse (which now serves as the annual training site headquarters building), three officers latrine/bathhouses, three enlisted latrine/bathhouses, a vehicle garage and a recreation hall. During the years from 1934-1942, a major construction effort was undertaken at Camp Grafton under the auspices of the Civilian Works Administration and the Works Progress Administration. The new construction included a Post Exchange building, approximately 250 concrete tent floors and wood tent frames, a stone cabin (now known as the Edwards House), a new camp custodian residence, two enlisted menGÇÖs bathhouses, two officerGÇÖs bathhouses, an infirmary building, 11 enlisted mess halls, several large storage sheds, an athletic amphitheater, installation of power line poles, a 182-foot well and the wiring of numerous buildings. At the conclusion of this construction project, the value of the encampment site (grounds, buildings, and improvements) was conservatively estimated to be $1.5 million. During its early years, the site now known as Camp Grafton went by different names. During the first encampment held there in 1891, the camp was named in honor of Andrew H. Burke, North DakotaGÇÖs sitting governor at the time. By 1902, the siteGÇÖs name had changed to Camp Lawton, in honor of Maj. Gen. Henry Ware Lawton, who commanded the division to which the 1st North Dakota Volunteers were assigned in the Philippines during the Philippine-American War. The practice of naming the training area for a well-known or admired individual lasted until 1921 when the name of the site changed to the Rock Island Military Reservation. This name lasted until 1924 when the site was once again was renamed to honor the memory of Lt. Col. Gilbert C. Grafton, of the 164th Infantry Regiment. Grafton had maintained membership in the NDNG since the territorial days and had deployed with the 164th Infantry Regiment during World War I, but died of illness in France on February 5, 1919. Gov. Norman Brunsdale made the name official through executive order in 1952. Construction has been an ongoing theme throughout Camp GraftonGÇÖs long history. In 1955, the Combined Support Maintenance Shop (CSMS) was constructed, as was the Enlisted Club building. In 1956, a chapel was completed and dedicated. Now known as Tracy Chapel, the structure honors the memory of Chaplain (Maj.) Thomas Tracy, also of the 164th Infantry Regiment. In 1964, a new water system was installed at Camp Grafton. During that same year, the OfficersGÇÖ Club was destroyed by a fire. The end of an era occurred in 1968 when the construction of over 200 metal hutments was completed to replace the canvas tents, which Guardsmen had called GÇ£homeGÇ¥ during the previous thirty years. During the late 1960s, a major project for the existing buildings at Camp Grafton was undertaken, in addition to the digging of a well and an upgrade of the water and sewer system. An OfficersGÇÖ Club/mess building was completed on the lakeshore. An icehouse was constructed in 1971 to keep ice used by units during field training to cool their perishable rations. The 1970s signaled continued construction at Camp Grafton. Several concrete bunkers, with anti-intrusion devices and security lighting and fencing, were constructed for ammunition storage. In 1977, a number of mobile homes were moved to Camp Grafton from the abandoned anti-ballistic missile site at Nekoma. Most of these trailers remain in service today, providing housing for field grade officers, senior warrant officers and senior noncommissioned officers. By 1982, several significant construction projects at Camp Grafton were underway and nearing completion. A new armory was built to house the 3662nd Maintenance Company and a new Unit Training Equipment Site Maintenance Complex (UTES) was under construction, as was a coal-fired central heating plant for Camp Grafton. The construction activity at Camp Grafton continued into the mid-1980s with the completion of an all-weather, battalion-sized complex of buildings, including enlisted barracks, company supply, administrative and storage facilities, as well as a bachelor officer and senior enlisted quarters building, an 800-person dining facility and a large engineer equipment cold storage building. Completion of this complex was a very significant milestone in the CampGÇÖs development, as battalion-sized accommodations were now available for the first time for year-round training. While many of the buildings at Camp Grafton have histories that extend back some 50 years, few of these buildings have retained their original character, as many have been insulated and their exteriors have been faced with more climate-efficient materials. A number of the original mess halls have been joined together and converted to consolidated mess halls, classroom and conference centers and offices. The 1990s began with construction of a modern self-service laundromat building. The tin hutments were renovated and outfitted for cold-weather training with the addition of shingled roofs and installation of wood and coal burning stoves during this same time. In 1992, the CSMS received a much-needed renovation and addition. Construction at Camp Grafton during the 1980s and early 1990s totaled more than $19 million. As the NDNG grew in size, its need for additional training areas also increased. Camp Grafton Training Center was limited in its ability to support units during their annual training periods for engineer training. This problem was solved when the 1985 State Legislative authorized the NDNG to purchase over 8,000 acres of land and to lease another 5,000 acres near Warwick for a battalion-size training area. The area has since come to be known as Camp Grafton South. Camp The area now provides adequate training areas for engineer training activities, such as earth-moving operations, demolitions and bridge training. Several large state-of-the-art small-arms ranges have been completed at this site. Today, Camp Grafton is much different from its early days when its only flurry of activity occurred during the annual two-week encampment periods. With the establishment of the North Dakota Military Academy (now known at the 164th Regional Training Institute, or RTI), year-around training in engineer subjects and noncommissioned leadership courses is offered not only to NDNG members, but also to active-duty and reserve-component Soldiers and units from across the entire country. With the 2010 completion of a new building dedicated for the use of courses taught by the 164th RTI, at a cost of more than $30 million, the school house is located in one facility. In addition, the 164th RTI also conducts courses for the NGND Officers Candidate School. In 1949, Guard officials determined the financial impact of an annual encampment at Camp Grafton to be under $200,000. Today, with year-around training at Camp Grafton, the financial impact to the state and surrounding areas can be measured in the tens of millions of dollars.
Summary: Group of men installing boards on trusses of building at Camp Grafton. Large building with full front porch, stone walls and stone chimney. On the porch another man is working on the window frame.
Red ID: PH_I_123443 Image ID: 139346 Image Notes: 00032-RY-01-00019
Collection: 00032 Digitized Images from Collection
Title: North Dakota Oral History Project Photograph Collection
Date: 1880-1977
Summary: Consists of copies of photographs belonging to people interviewed for the North Dakota Oral History Project. The Project was undertaken by Larry Sprunk, with the cooperation of the North Dakota American Revolution Bicentennial Commission, the North Dakota Farmers Union, and the State Historical Society of North Dakota. The primary objective of the North Dakota Oral History Project was to conduct oral tape recorded interviews with North Dakotans who lived through the state's history and who could speak of this history from a first-hand basis. Interviewees were photographed at the time of their interviews. In addition, the project borrowed over 6,000 historical photographs which were copied and added to the State Historical Society's collection. Many interviewees also donated family histories, documents, letters, ledgers, books, and artifacts.
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