Walla Walla Committee Asks General Funston to Keep Fort
A committee from the Commercial Club met with General Funston to lobby against the military's plan to abandon the local garrison.
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Frank W. Paine, Miles C. Moore, Frank S. Dement and Edwin S. Isaacs from the Walla Walla Commercial Club called upon General Funston, commanding the department of the Columbia, at the quarters of Colonel E. S. Godfrey at the garrison this morning to consult with the general regarding his recent recommendations that Fort Walla Walla be abandoned as a military post. The committee was very courteously received by General Funston who listened very attentively to what the gentlemen had to say in favor of the retention of the garrison. The general assured the committee that he had no personal feelings in the matter, but his recommendations had been made along the lines of the policy of the war department, with a view of concentrating the United States troops near the larger cities. Another objection was that the present garrison was not adequate for the proper drilling and maneuvering of cavalry troops. He believed that the garrison could be used to better advantage as an infantry post and that if the citizens of Walla Walla desired that infantry be stationed here, he would not interpose any objection. It would require about $15,000 to renovate the dilapidated buildings. He assured the committee that the abandonment of the fort would probably not occur for some time and that he would take no further steps regarding his previous recommendations for the time being.
“The general assured the committee that he had no personal feelings in the matter, but his recommendations had been made along the lines of the policy of the war department.”
The closure or realignment of military installations remains a recurring source of anxiety for regional economies. While Fort Walla Walla eventually transitioned from an active military post to a public park, this debate illustrates the 1903 civic effort to tie the town's prosperity to federal presence.
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