World War I in La Plata County
Pen-Dike Studio photograph believed to be the troop send off on September 19,1917 at the Durango Depot. Courtesy of the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum.
La Plata county sent its draftees off with a parade. Local Civil War veterans led the procession, riding in cars whose owners proudly offered them for the occasion. The Smelter Band provided music, along with the local drum corps. The parade began on North Main, headed to the courthouse on 2nd Avenue, where the draftees joined the parade, then south to the depot. It seemed most of the county was in attendance, as citizens lined the streets and filled the depot platform. Businesses were closed, while flags and bunting decorated the town.
The first contingency of draftees departed on September 5. The Durango Democrat urged the community to “SEND THEM AWAY WITH A WARM SPOT IN THEIR HEARTS FOR EVERY MAN AND WOMAN IN THE BASIN – LET’S DO THE RIGHT THING BY OUR BOYS”. They were gifted with lunches, homemade treats and desserts, cigarettes and cigars. When the second group of draftees left on September 19, the Democrat voiced a hope for an even larger turn-out. Their wish was granted, as the community once again lined the streets.
The Durango draftees joined the lads from Silverton aboard the train to Denver. The railroad’s roundhouse crew joined in the patriotic celebration, sending off one of their own, Harry Rudy. The westbound Rio Grande Southern train had pulled out as scheduled, but when the crew realized Harry was leaving they pulled back into the yard to join the celebration.
The local soldiers-to-be were showed with food, cigarettes and good wishes along the way to Denver where they were joined by draftees from all around Colorado. Special troop trains then conveyed them to Camp Funston, Kansas where they began their basic training. To learn more about this camp's role in history click here.Hundreds of men enlisted or were drafted from La Plata County. They all took the train to Denver, then were shipped on to various training camps, especially to Camp Funston in Kansas. There the men were provided with uniforms, weapons, and given some basic military training before they were sent to assignments in the United States or overseas.
Many of the La Plata County soldiers were sent to Camp Funston in Kansas for their basic training. This photograph of the motorcycle squad in camp was sent to Walter Campbell. Catalog number: 04.10.159
Enlisted men were issued “campaign” hats (below right) in the U.S., when they arrived in France these were exchanged for “overseas” hats (below left) as they were deemed to be easier to carry around while wearing a helmet. Men had to be taught to wear their hats in proper military style.
Unidentified doughboys. Catalog number: 92.19.122.100
A few of the men in La Plata County joined the Air Service, including Adolf Soens and Nate Stein. These men attended ground school training, then learned to fly in Curtiss JN-4 “Jenny” airplanes but, like many pilots, they were not sent overseas.
Adolf Soens in uniform. Catalog number: 95.3.15
Not all who joined the military for The Great War were drafted. Many volunteered, perhaps in response to this classified ad:
