Wyoming is home to only one military installation, but that base, F.E. Warren in Cheyenne, has a notable history, and continues to play a significant role in the nation’s defenses.
Originally established in 1867 as Fort D. A. Russell, F. E. Warren Air Force Base is the oldest continuously active military installation within the Air Force. The former Army fort turned over to the, then, newly formed branch, upon its inception, in 1947. Today it is home to the 90th Missile Wing and Headquarters, 20th Air Force, of the Air Force Global Strike Command. The 90th includes missile facilities in Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraska.
Warren was initially used as a training facility vy the Air Force. In 1958, the 4320th Strategic Missile Wing was established with responsibility for 24 Atlas missile sites under Strategic Air Command. Although not the first designated missile wing, Warren became the first fully operational missile wing in the command. On Sept. 2, 1960, the 564th Strategic Missile Squadron was declared the first fully operational Intercontinental Ballistic Missile squadron.??Two years later, the new Minuteman replaced the Atlas, and on July 1, 1963, the 90th Strategic Missile Wing was activated. In the early 1970s, the SAC ICBM Force Modernization Program began replacing Minuteman I with Minuteman III missiles. In November 1973, the 400th Strategic Missile Squadron marked the transition by becoming the first all Minuteman III squadron at Warren. The 90th Strategic Missile Wing was selected to base the Peacekeeper missile in 1975. Warren was home to the Peacekeeper missile from 1986 to 2005, when deactivation was completed. Warren missile fields currently maintain the Minuteman III missiles.??During a period of Air Force reorganization in the early 1990s, Warren transitioned from SAC to Air Combat Command, to Air Force Space Command and finally, in December of 2009 fell under Air Force Global Strike Command. The 90th Strategic Missile Wing was also renamed the 90th Missile Wing. The wing became the 90th Space Wing on October 1, 1997. The wing returned to the 90th Missile Wing designation July 1, 2008.
The original occupants of the old Fort Russell could have never imaged what their frontier outpost is today. They initially lived in tents to guard the mountain region headquarters of the Union Pacific railroad. Wooden barracks were built - in a diamond shape designed to offer better protection from the Wyoming winters than the traditional rectangle fort construction. Cheyenne was known as Crow Creek Crossing in those early days. The construction of the fort coincided with the birth of the city that became the state capital we call Cheyenne. ??Fort Russell was made a permanent post in 1884, and the next year underwent a large building project to serve eight infantry companies. The Army built 27 red brick buildings, at a cost of $100,000. At its peak the fort was home to almost 20,000 horses and mules. Thousands of tree were planted as well. Eventually there were 220 brick buildings erected; all remain in use today.??The base maintains the historic exterior of each building with appropriate interior modifications for today’s living and working environment. Because of the lasting integrity of the base’s historic architecture and setting, the central core of the base was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and the base was designated a National Historic Landmark.
The history of Fort Russel includes the assignment of the 9th and 10th Cavalry and the 24th infantry; black regiments that became renowned as Buffalo Soldiers.
Units from Fort Russell fought in the Spanish-American War in Cuba and the Philippines. Members of the Wyoming National Guard who mustered and trained there were the first troops to raise the flag in Manilla during that engagement.
During the Mexican Revolution soldiers from the fort were stationed along the border. Their assignment was to prevent that war from coming across the border. One notable officer of the era, Capt. John “Black Jack” Pershing, was assigned to the post, and later led American forces in Europe during World War I. Capt. Pershing married U.S. Senator Francis E. Warren’s daughter. Due to the influence of Senator Warren, Capt. Pershing was promoted to general within six months of his marriage. Quite possibly the most meteoric rise in rank in the history of all of the armed forces!
In 1930, President Hoover issued a proclamation changing the name of the post to Fort Francis E. Warren, honoring Wyoming’s territorial governor and first state governor. Warren was a U.S. Senator for 37 years. He received the Medal of Honor when he was 19 for heroism during the Civil War.
A few very recognizable names were stationed at F.E. Warren. Within the military those include; Gen. Billy Mitchell (the “Father of the Air Force”), Gen. Mark Clark (World War II general in Europe, commander of the 5th U.S. Army), Gen. Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. (first black general) Dr. Walter Reed and Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker. Entertainer Sammy Davis, Jr. was stationed there, and Neil Diamond and Chris LeDoux grew up at the installation.
Truly from a handful of tents in the post Civil War era, to a space age state-of-the-art installation, for more than 136 years, the men and women of Warren have excelled as “Guardians of the High Frontier.” Whether protecting a railroad or the American way of life through its strategic deterrent, Warren has been at the forefront of our nation’s defense, and will continue to do so long into the future.
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