Press Release: Information written and provided by Rose Jordan, Director of Tourism & Marketing, Mineral Wells Area Chamber of Commerce
History runs deep in Mineral Wells, Texas, including a rich and proud military history that spans over a century.
Established in 1877, civilian soldiers first guarded and protected the city in 1918. Texas’ mounted calvary headquarters was stationed in Mineral Wells in 1927. Camp Wolters was activated in 1941 and became the nation’s largest World War II infantry training base. German POWs were housed locally. The base remained an active training site during the Korean Conflict and then in 1956 became Fort Wolters and eventually the U.S. Army’s Primary Helicopter Training base during the Vietnam War, the largest of its kind in the world.
Today, the National Vietnam War Museum exist just east of Mineral Wells as a tribute to the tens of thousands of men and women who gave their lives in the name of freedom. Among the displays and exhibits is an updated, half-size replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall. The actual museum is under construction and is expected to open this year.
That merely scratches the surface of Mineral Wells’ deep military history. You have to see it to believe it, and now thanks to the Mineral Wells Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitor’s Bureau and the Fort Wolters Historical Committee you can easily find and tour many of the military landmarks and information through the Military History Tour. The tour currently includes 24 historically significant locations with GPS locations to guide you.
The tour website is visitmineralwells.org/mineral-wells-military-history-tour/. To see it all, plan on it taking at least two days. There is a lot of ground to cover.
“Our community is very proud of our military past and history. Many retired veterans who trained and served here remained or returned,” said Rose Jordan, tourism director for the Mineral Wells Area Chamber of Commerce. “While this is an extensive collection of historic and significant military locations and sights, there are more we will add in the coming weeks and months.”
The visitmineralwells.org website also provides information on area lodging, accommodations, restaurants and other things to do and places to see while in Mineral Wells and Palo Pinto County, located just 45 miles west of Fort Worth at the crossroads of U.S. Highway 180 and U.S. Highway 281. Come visit the place where “Texas History Runs Deep.”
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