The Battle Of The Somme - 1505 Words

Prepare for war! That is what you hear and your heart stops while your jaw opens and you gasp for air that is not there. While talking about the history and establishment of Camp Lewis is not as important as preparing for war, it is important in that the knowledge of our past will help posture and mold the future of tomorrow. The idea for Camp Lewis was fought for by the civilian populace of Pierce County in Washington State. Late in the year of 1916 the â€Å"Battle of the Somme† was at full force when a private group of concerned citizens got together at American Lake to organize a training program that was designed for non-enlistment personnel. The program was designed to encourage readiness among the community in preparation for†¦show more content†¦He met with Mr. Appleby and the league about the possibilities of the land use. Earlier that year, (August 1916) there was a bill that was passed by the U.S. Senate that allowed the Secretary of War to accept land that was donated to military for a supply station, mobilization, training, and other strategic military purposes. The General and the appointed members from Washington State took their proposal to Washington D.C. and met with the Secretary of War, Chief of Staff, and President Woodrow Wilson to discuss the possibility of a military post in the Nisqually area of Pierce County. Part of the agreement for establishing the post was that Washington State would donate 140 square miles to the military. Mr. Appleby and his league now had the daunting task of convincing the community members that purchasing and donating the land to the Army was the beneficial thing to do for Pierce County and the Puget Sound area. â€Å"On 6 January 1917, 86 percent of the Pierce County Electorate voted to bond themselves for 20 years for $2,000,000 to purchase 70,000 acres to be donated to the federal government for use as a military base† Lewis Army Museum (2015). The community agreed to the te rms but could not donate the land until the United States was officially at war. Once the U.S. entered World War I, Pierce County seized the land by purchasing it from the landowners. This allowed them to give it