Ft. Ripley or Camp Ripley? Which one and Why:

Photo By Anthony Housey | Camp Ripley Circa 2021  

MN, UNITED STATES

11.22.2021

Story by Anthony Housey 

Camp Ripley Training Center

22 November 2021 (CAMP RIPLEY, Minnesota) – In no way does the Fort vs Camp debate rank anywhere near the ongoing battle over ‘geese’ and ‘grey ducks’, but when people think about where in Minnesota their Service-member conduct training, some are Fort Ripley folks and some are Camp Ripley folks.

Historically, as a term, fort is an abbreviation for fortification or fortress which evolved from the Latin word for strong, "fortis." As the term and the results of said developments spread through the world by colonization, trade and conflict, the use of the word fort varied. Roman forts erected to protect the frontier of the growing empire changed from military strongholds into highly populated cities and back again based on the demand at the time. Officially the two primary purposes of a fort are to establish a military presence in a region, and/or to protect settlements.

Fort Ripley was built, like most frontier army posts during that middle 1800s, to provide a government presence in the wilderness and bolster safe settlement. As an outpost located on the upper Mississippi River it was geographically remote and on the very edge of the nation’s northwestern frontier.

Construction began in November 1848 after several inquiries to establish a fort near the recently relocated Winnebago tribe’s reservation close to Long Prairie. The west side of the Mississippi, opposite a pioneer farm, was a chosen by the Army as a site for the new fort also putting it in proximity of the Red River ox cart trail, a trading post, lumber mill and growing settlements.

Originally named Ft. Gaines, the fort was renamed in 1850 in honor of Brigadier General Eleazar W. Ripley, a Maine congressman who distinguished himself in the War of 1812. Another new frontier fort had already won the name of Gen. Edmund Pendleton Gaines according to the War Department.

More than two decades later the frontier had moved over 500 miles to the west and the railroad adjusted its route to pass through the swelling town of Brainerd to the north. The need for the underwhelming, under-manned former frontier fort was shrinking quickly. On a freezing night in January 1877, the forts fate was sealed. A fire caused by an overheated chimney destroyed much of the fort’s main buildings. With much of it unserviceable, the War Department decided to close Ft. Ripley.

As the garrison moved out of Ft. Ripley and the physical foot print of the wooden fortification began to disappear, the town of Fort Ripley and surrounding homesteads improved. Located across the Mississippi River from the old fort site, the town of Fort Ripley became a hub for local farmers and community members. Although having no defenses within the town limits, the name of Fort Ripley stuck. Today more than twenty families still occupy the small but welcoming village as their new neighbor Camp Ripley sits across the river.

The military selects and builds camps in strategic locations to fulfill temporary needs of large-scale unit commanders focused on a broad mission. The function of these camps is to house, train and equip military personnel to prepare personnel for service in the armed forces. Often times, these temporary facilities are built in response to a time of crisis or to meet the needs of state or federal requirements.

Camp Ripley was selected as a replacement for the small and inadequate Camp Lakeview by Ellard Walsh, Adjutant General of the State of Minnesota in 1929. The State of Minnesota approved the purchase of 12,000 acres (49 km2) of land and was selected due to the large combinations of fields and forests in the vicinity. Officially named Camp Ripley in December 1930, this tract of land was selected for military training, and coincidently incorporated the remains of the former Ft. Ripley.

Construction of the camp began in 1930, but Camp Ripley was a tent camp like most National Guard camps of this era. Soon improvements began with buildings, utilities, field ranges, and roads. The first soldiers officially began training on Camp Ripley June 14, 1931. Due to the creation of the 109th Observation Squadron in St. Paul, a training airfield was created in 1933. Construction continued with the help of young men from the Civilian Conservation Corps and by 1940 the camp could house twelve thousand troops at any given time.

Today, Camp Ripley is a permanent training site for the Minnesota National Guard, Minnesota State partners as well as military and civilian organizations from all over the region. Many out-of-state units come to Camp Ripley to use its robust facilities and train on its modern and user-friendly ranges. With more than 53,000 acres of training space, the camp employs between 800-1,000 personnel and is managed by a training support unit which keeps the lights on while customers come and go. In addition to Camp Ripley’s military mission, the “base” functions as a small city, being a good neighbor environmentally and socially while operating to maintain resources for readiness, training and mobilization of military units.

Aside from our brothers and sister of other branches who live, operate and store their things on bases, the Army’s use of Forts and Camps is just enough to keep us busy with names as they travel throughout the world. Bases, Air, Naval or otherwise, serves many purposes providing storage for military supplies and housing for military personnel and their families. A permanent base functions much like a civilian city, with features such as churches, gyms, schools and parks.

Some personnel may feel like they live on Camp Ripley for the amount of time they spend on base, but officially the only permanent residents of Camp Ripley is the Senior Commander and family.

Throughout this country’s military history many camps grew into forts such as Camp Benning, in Georgia which was established October 19, 1918, initially providing basic training for units mobilizing for World War I. Today, Ft. Benning is the Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence and one of the largest bases in the inventory. Similarly, locations like Fort Wayne, Indiana began as a U.S. military fort established in 1794 by Gen. Anthony Wayne and grew into a city of the same name. Knowing the difference will help not only the U.S. Postal Service, but will make you the most knowledgeable person on military installations at a party.

• Date Taken: 11.22.2021
• Date Posted: 11.24.2021 11:03
• Story ID: 409998
• Location: MN, US