in the background Toward the end of the 19th century, conflicts between Native Americans and expanding American interests were becoming less common. The
United States Army began looking to cut costs by closing isolated
frontier forts and start using the railroads to transport troops and supplies. Denver citizens were concerned about their safety due to the influx of settlers from the east. They petitioned the
United States Army to build a post. Colorado Senator
Henry M. Teller introduced a bill in Congress 1886 for construction of a post, which was signed in February 1887. Initially, the post responded to local civil and labor disputes. A three-acre cemetery was established in 1889. The first recorded burial was for Mable Peterkin, daughter of Private Peterkin, who died on June 28, 1889. As infantry barracks were completed, the
7th Infantry left
Fort Laramie, Wyoming, and made Fort Logan their permanent home. In 1894, the first cavalry units were posted to Fort Logan and remained until 1904. Troops from Fort Logan participated in military actions right from the start. In December 1890, troops were deployed to
South Dakota to intercept
Sioux tribal bands. In 1894 troops were called in to quell civil strife resulting from Governor
Davis Hanson Waite's
siege of city hall. Later in the year they were deployed south during the
Pullman Strike. Units from Fort Logan also participated in the 1898
Spanish–American War. In 1927, an Engineering unit occupied Fort Logan and made major updates to the site during the
Great Depression. Thus the installation came under the control of
Western Technical Training Command. In 1942 the Administrative Inspector School was opened which trained
air inspectors. In April 1944, Fort Logan was transferred from the
Western Technical Training Command to the AAF
Air Service Command for training injured soldiers in civilian trades. In addition the fort was briefly used as a
prisoner of war camp in 1943 and 1944. After the war the fort was declared surplus and negotiating over what to do with the land commenced. It was closed in May 1946. Some land was sold, 75 acres (including the burial ground) were set aside for the
Fort Logan National Cemetery, and the rest was donated to the state of Colorado. The state used the site as a mental health center and the first patients were admitted in 1961. In 1991 the center was renamed to the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Fort Logan. ==Aftermath==