Located
90 miles southwest of Oklahoma City, Fort Sill houses Army
Field Artillery Training Command, Army Field Artillery
School, Field Artillery Training Center and 3d Armor Corps
Artillery.
The site of Fort Sill was staked out on January 8, 1869 by Maj. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan who led a Campaign into Indian Territory to stop hostile tribes from raiding border settlements in Texas and Kansas.
Sheridan's massive winter campaign involved six cavalry regiments accompanied by frontier scouts such as "Buffalo Bill" Cody, "Wild Bill" Hickok, Ben Clark and Jack Stilwell. Troops camped at the location of the new fort included the 7th Cavalry, the 19th Kansas Volunteers and the 10th Cavalry, a distinguished group of black "buffalo soldiers" who constructed many of the stone buildings still surrounding the old post quadrangle.
At first the garrison was called "Camp Wichita" and referred to by the Indians as "the Soldier House at Medicine Bluffs." Sheridan later named it in honor of his West Point classmate and friend, Brigadier General Joshua W. Sill, who was killed during the Civil War. The first post commander was Brevet Maj. Gen. Benjamin Grierson and the first Indian agent was Colonel Albert Gallatin Boone, grandson of Daniel Boone.
Main
phone numbers: Commercial (580)442-8111 or
DSN 639-8111
Mailing
address: Fort Sill, OK 73503-5000
Population:
10,214 active duty; 36,513 family members; 7,208
civilians
Housing: 1,415
family housing units; 1,977 unaccompanied personnel spaces
with 1,723 more under construction; wait up to 20 months
(580)442-2302
Temporary
lodging: 26 distinguished visitor units;
75-room guest house (580)442-5000
Army
Community Service: (580)442-5018
Schools: Two
elementary schools on post run by the Lawton school
system
Child
Care: Center for 265, two-month wait; 11
approved homes (580)442-3927
Health
care: 157-bed hospital, seven
clinics. Appointments (580)458-2500; Tricare
(800)611-2857
Fort
Sill has a very large size commissary -
(580)442-4373,
a large exchange, a mall, and two shoppettes
(580)248-7506. Recreation at Fort Sill includes bowling,
library, auto hobby, recreation facility, theater, golf,
gym, tennis, swimming, outdoor activities, camping, and
fishing.
