Scenes of Camp Pike, National Army Cantonment, 1918

Scenes of... Camp Pike National Army Cantonment, Little Rock, Arkansas Undated, circa 1918. GGA Image ID # 18657acc66

Contains 18 Pages of Photographs of the World War One Training Camp. "Scrapbook style souvenir booklet" Published by The Albertype Company, Brooklyn, NY with Large Envelope Enclosure.

Administrative History Note

This camp, located 8 miles northwest of Little Rock, was established on July 18, 1917, to serve as a training camp for the 87th Division of the National Army.

Named in honor of military explorer Zebulon M. Pike, the reservation consisted of over 14,000 acres and 1,488 buildings which were constructed between June 1917 and November 1918.

The first troops arrived the first week of September 1917 and the last arrived in November 1918. The post was officially designated as the Infantry Replacement and Training Camp in April 1918, the Infantry Training Center in August 1918, and the U.S. Army Demobilization Center in December 1918.

Camp Pike continued to be used as a training camp following the end of World War I, and was renamed Camp Joseph T. Robinson in 1937. During World War II, Camp Robinson expanded to 48,188 acres and was used for basic training and to house German prisoners of war.

Camp Robinson was declared surplus after World War II and in August 1950, 32,884 acres were conveyed to the Military Department of the State of Arkansas.

The remaining 15,304 acres were disposed of as follows; 571 acres to the city of North Little Rock for an airport, 365 acres conveyed to Central Baptist College, 870 acres conveyed to the city of North Little Rock for a park, and 13,465 acres conveyed to private ownerships. The Department of Defense retained 31 acres for a U.S. Army Reserve Center.

Entrance to Camp Pike. GGA Image ID # 18659daa6b

Division Headquarters at Camp Pike. GGA Image ID # 1865c8ca40

Barracks at South Avenue Entrance of Camp Pike. GGA Image ID # 1865de0586

Barracks at North Avenue Entrance of Camp Pike. GGA Image ID # 1866012e93

Quartermaster's Warehouses at Camp Pike. GGA Image ID # 1866031687

Base Hospital at Camp Pike (on right). GGA Image ID # 18662381d3

The Receiving Area at Camp Pike. GGA Image ID # 18663c3c49

Inspection of New Recruits by the NCOs at Camp Pike. GGA Image ID # 18666b9524

Camp Pike Photo Collage #1 - Top Left: Dental Infirmary and Pool Room. Top Right: Remount Station. Center: Hostess House YWCA. Bottom Left: Depot Brigade. Bottom Right: Army YMCA Brigade Building. GGA Image ID # 186684793b

Camp Pike Photo Collage # 2 - Top Left: Setting up Exercises. Top Right: Recruits Registering. Center: Infantry on the Hike. Bottom Left: Filling Sleeping Sacks. Bottom Right: Cleanup after Mess. GGA Image ID # 1866c65ea6

Soldiers Passing in Review at Camp Pike. GGA Image ID # 18675ab131

Another View of Soldiers Passing in Review at Camp Pike. GGA Image ID # 186768c9c5

Camp Pike YMCA Auditorium. GGA Image ID # 186793dc50

Camp Pike Knights of Columbus Hall. GGA Image ID # 1867a9c0c4

The Officers' Club at Camp Pike. GGA Image ID # 1867b59aae

The Liberty Theatre at Camp Pike. GGA Image ID # 186820dbfa

The Camp Library at Camp Pike. GGA Image ID # 1868324866

The Regimental Exchange at Camp Pike. GGA Image ID # 1868492ba3

Camp Bakery with Inset Showing Bakery Ovens at Camp Pike. GGA Image ID # 186944b1d1

Major General Samuel D. Sturgis, Commanding 87th Division, National Army, Camp Pike. GGA Image ID # 1869f9dae7

All photographs on this page were part of a souvenir photo album called Scenes of... Camp Pike, National Army Cantonment, Little Rock, Arkansas.

The 87th Division was made up of National Army drafts from Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. It was organized at Camp Pike, Arkansas. The overseas movement began August 23, and the last units arrived in France September 13, 1918.

Upon arrival in France, the division was turned over to the Service of Supply and ordered to Pons (CharenteInferieure), where it was broken up and units placed in the intermediate section.

The commanding general of this division was Major General Samuel D. Sturgis. The division is popularly known as the "Acorn Division," and the shoulder insignia is a brown acorn on a green circle.

The 87th Division was composed of the following organizations:

173rd Infantry Brigade—345th and 346th Regiments. 174th Infantry Brigade—347th and 348th Regiments. 334th, 335th and 336th Machine Gun Battalions. 162nd Field Artillery Brigade—334th, 335th and 346th Field Regiments. 312th Trench Mortar Battery. 312th Engineer Regiment and Train. 312th Field Signal Battalion. path Ammunition Train. 312th Supply Train.

312th Train Headquarters and Military Police. 312th Sanitary Train—345th, 346th, 347th and 348th Ambulance Companies and Field Hospitals.

Administrative History Note, War Department. Camp Pike, Arkansas. 7/18/1917-1937 Organization Authority Record.