In March of 1916, Mexican revolutionary leader Pancho Villa led an army of fighters over the border into the United States. They attacked the city of Columbus, New Mexico, killing 19 people and burning the town. President Woodrow Wilson ordered General John Pershing to lead a punitive expedition into Mexico to find Villa. They failed to capture him, and after a year, the Mexican government withdrew permission for the American incursion, so they returned home. (In the meantime, the U.S. had entered World War I, so our troops were needed in Europe.)
119 Years Ago
The June 22, 1916, Colorado Transcript showed the Mexican action hitting home. The Colorado Rifle Range (now called Camp George West) was put into service as a training ground for National Guardsmen destined for Mexico.
This included the Company A Engineers from the Colorado School of Mines. Most of the men were out of town when the call came—some of them at geology summer camp in Loveland, others doing survey work in Idaho Springs—but they all hurried back to Golden.
They were required to move to barracks in the Armory and spent their days working and drilling at the camp. Their first job was working with the signal corps to lay out telegraph and telephone lines, to put the camp in a state of readiness for large numbers of soldiers. Other troops were building roads.
Quartermasters were assessing available supplies. They had enough uniforms and weapons but were short on ammunition. Tents and blankets were available and packed, in anticipation of a hasty deployment. They had plenty of wagons for transporting materials but were critically short of horses.
Ever mindful of tourism potential, the Transcript commented that the camp was attracting sightseers and crowds of relatives from Denver. "Sunday it is expected that thousands will go to the camp from Denver, Golden and other cities."
In August, the Army sent word that the Company A Engineers would not be needed on the front, so they were allowed to return to classes. They were instructed to hold themselves in readiness for service should their country need them.
