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U.S. Army. Via ibiblio.org
Fort William Henry Harrison (112.10W
46.62N) was located
near Helena,
Montana, and was selected as the training
center for the Special
Service Force.
Its extreme climate and mountainous
terrain, as well as its location
close to the U.S.-Canadian border, made it an ideal
training
ground
for this unit, which was originally raised to conduct light infantry
operations
against heavy water
production facilities in Norway.
The fort was established in May 1892 as part of a
consolidation of smaller Army outposts. It was initially named after
President Benjamin Harrison, but it was discovered that a Fort Benjamin
Harrison already existed, and the name was changed to William Henry
Harrison in 1906. William Henry Harrison was a soldier, governor, and
Congressman who served just one month as President of the United States
(the ninth, and the last born before the Declaration of Independence)
before succumbing to pneumonia.
The fort had an area of 11,737 acres (4750 hectares) and
had barracks sufficient for 122 officers
and 2892 enlisted men. However, it was declared inactive on 28 February
1944, though it saw later use by the Montana National Guard.
References
Stanton
(2006)
UltimateMontana.com
(accessed 2009-5-25)
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia © 2007, 2009-2010 by Kent G. Budge. Index
