Fort Drum | |
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Watertown, New York | |
Marksmanship training at Fort Drum
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Type | Army post |
Site information | |
Controlled by | U.S. Army |
Website | Official Website |
Site history | |
Built | 1908 |
In use | 1908-present |
Garrison information | |
Garrison | 10th Mountain Division |
Fort Drum, New York | |
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CDP | |
Location within the state of New York | |
Coordinates: 44°2′17″N 75°45′29″W / 44.03806°N 75.75806°WCoordinates: 44°2′17″N 75°45′29″W / 44.03806°N 75.75806°W | |
Country | United States |
State | New York |
County | Jefferson |
Area | |
• Total | 167.2 sq mi (433 km2) |
• Land | 167.1 sq mi (433 km2) |
• Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2) |
Population (2010) | |
• Total | 12,955 |
• Density | 77/sq mi (30/km2) |
Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
• Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
ZIP codes | 13602-13603 |
Area code(s) | 315 |
FIPS code | 36-26759 |
Fort Drum is a U.S. Army military reservation and a census-designated place in Jefferson County, New York, United States. The population was 12,955 at the 2010 census. It is home to the 10th Mountain Division.
Fort Drum consists of 107,265 acres (434.1 km2) and temperatures can reach as low as −30 °F (−34 °C). Its mission includes command of active component units assigned to the installation, provide administrative and logistical support to tenant units, support to tenant units, support to active and reserve units from all services in training at Fort Drum, and planning and support for the mobilization and training of almost 80,000 troops annually.
This section of the article incorporates text taken from a public-domain document prepared by the US military.
A portion of the present Fort Drum was purchased for use as a military training site since 1908, when it was named Pine Camp. However, the army's presence in the North Country may be traced back to the early 19th century.
In 1809 a company of infantry soldiers was stationed at Sackett's Harbor to enforce the Embargo Act and control smuggling between northern New York and Canada. Following the outbreak of the War of 1812, Sackett's Harbor became the center of United States naval and military activity for the Upper St. Lawrence River valley and Lake Ontario.
During the 1830s and 1840s, the Lower Canada Rebellion in Canada prompted a new round of military preparations and Madison Barracks became the home of artillery units.
In 1908, Major General Frederick Dent Grant was sent to the Pine Camp region to train with 2,000 regulars and 8,000 militia. Grant, the son of former United States president and Civil War general Ulysses S. Grant, found Pine Plains to be ideal for military exercises. In 1909 the military allocated funds to purchase land to form Pine Camp, and summer training continued here through the years.