Fort Lewis - Lakewood, Washington
Posted by: 
Hikenutty
N 47° 06.059 W 122° 35.238
10T E 531316 N 5216468
The Fort Lewis arch was built by the citizens of Pierce County when they made a gift of the fort property to the United States Army at the beginning of WWI.
Waymark Code: WM2VWK
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 12/27/2007
Views: 88
The following text is from "Washington: A Guide to the Evergreen State":
The entrance to FORT LEWIS (visitors permitted, subject to military regulations), 47.9 m., is formed of cobblestone pillars, topped by blockhouse-like structures fronting the highway....
Some time before the United States entered the World War in 1917, Pierce County voted bonds to purchase 62,000 acres of land midway between Tacoma and Olympia and present this tract for a military cantonment. On that rolling, flat, prairie land rose Camp Lewis, named in honor of Captain Meriweather Lewis. Barracks were quickly constructed, tents pitched, and sewage, water, and lighting systems installed. The accommodations and training facilities necessary for the 30,650 men who were later to be stationed here were hastily improvised. Most of the war-time wooden barracks and other buildings have been replaced by brick and steel structures. Recently the defense program has led to the doubling of Fort Lewis, at a cost of $16,000,000, for training the Forty-First Division on the ground north of US 99, between American Lake and the Sound.
Fort Lewis is now the most requested fort to be stationed at in the army. As of the 2000 census there were approximately 20,000 soldiers stationed there serving in the I Corps, 3rd Brigade, U.S. 2d Infantry Division, 4th Brigade U.S. 2d Infantry Division, 5th Brigade U.S. 2d Infantry Division, 1st Special Forces Group, 2d Ranger Battalion, 62d Medical Brigade, 593d Corps Support Group, 555th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, 42d Military Police Brigade, 11th Signal Brigade, and the 51st Signal Battalion.
The entrance to the fort (and its arch) were moved when I-5 was constructed through the middle of the fort's property. You can now see the arch near the visitor center where you must stop to receive clearance to enter the fort.
According to Wikipedia "Fort Lewis has more than 25,000 soldiers and civilian workers. The post supports 120,000(+) retirees and more than 29,000 family members living both on and off post. Fort Lewis proper contains 86,000 acres (350 km²); the Yakima Training Center covers 324,000 acres (1,310 km²)."