The headlines in a December edition of the 1917 Trench and Camp were all about the coming Christmas celebration at Camp Funston.

“Big Day At Camp: and “Day At Funston,” as well as “Santa In Charge: graced the front page.

The Trench and Camp was published at Fort Riley, Kan., for the soldiers based there. The camp was the largest of 16 divisional cantonment training camps built to house and train soldiers for military duty during World War I.

The camp was laid out in city blocks with a main street of general stores, theaters, social centers, infirmaries, libraries, schools, workshops, and a coffee roasting house for the 40,000 troops quartered on the camp. By Christmas, Camp Funston was barely six months old.

The three-year European war was just beginning to touch Americans. “Over There” in France only a small portion of U. S. forces had seen battle.

The “Rainbow Division: made up of men from 26 states, had yet to be battle tested. For Christmas temporary command of Gen. Pershing’s American Expeditionary Forces was placed in the hands of Santa Clause.

The Trench and Camp reported that, “The knick-knacks from home have arrived and have been distributed:’

At Funston, Christmas day began with a sack race, followed throughout the morning by a turkey shoot, a crab race, a centipede race, tug of war, and a jousting contest. Has anyone ever seen a crab race or a centipede race?

“At 10:30 o’clock the thousands of soldiers gather to see the broncho bucking contest, which was in charge of Capt. Chauncey Dewey:’

That was followed by a roping and tying contest. Cowboys from nearby ranches with names like Powder Face, Red, and “The Fox: matched skills with wild steers, and bucking bronchos. Some of them were championship riders and ropers.

[Chauncey’s father, C. P. Dewey established the Dewey Ranch, part of today’s Konza Prairie south of Manhattan. The ranch in Rawlins County was managed by Chauncey.]

A Christmas dinner fit for “only the wealthy of the nation” was served in the mess halls decorated with touches of Christmas.

“Along with the turkey were preserved fruits, vegetables, sweets, nuts, and cigars:’ Some of the mess sergeants even had menus specially printed for the occasion.

The afternoon’s wild west show was to be the highlight of the day. An army wagon train of 100 wagons each pulled by a four-mule team was to circle Rim Rock Hill before gathering on the drill field.

Each wagon was loaded with Christmas gifts “sent by those who have taken it upon themselves to see that each soldier shall have a Christmas gift.”

Before distributing the gifts an “Indian attack” on the wagons, and “a rescue by the soldiers, is expected to provide an outlet for much of the joyous spirit of the men:’ Gathering around a huge bonfire each man was to receive his gift.

As the wagons approached, the soldiers formed around the field in straight military lines. Muleskinners drove each wagon onto the parade grounds halting wagons side by side in a circle with the mules facing the center. Imagine 100 wagons formed in a great circle with 400 mules nose to nose!

When the attack commenced the cowboys escorting the wagons spurred their ponies, riding around and around the circled wagons, firing revolvers into the air. The mules were unexpectedly startled.

“Every mule made a lunge, wedging together in the center into a mass of mules, harness and wagons ... Mules were piled on one another, dragged under the wagons and (were) wound in the harness:’

Straight military lines evaporated as “the boys” broke and ran to the wreck for a better look at the “mountain of mules:’ Military police and hundreds of men worked for two hours unwinding the entangled mess. Several of the mules were badly cut and bruised but none were killed.

The mules and wagons were eventually properly hooked up, but with the distribution of presents overdue the wagons were driven to company barracks. Company officers took charge of distribution to make sure that every soldier received a present.

Leftovers from the tremendous Christmas dinner were served at night mess before everyone returned to the base of Rim Rock Hill. Squads and platoons marched to the tune of”Hail, Hail the Gang’s All Here” and other popular songs of the day. From the parade grounds below, the boys witnessed “one of the most stupendous fireworks displays seen in the middle west ...” accomplished by an expert “imported” from New York.

The horrors of war lay before them on the European battlefield, but every man would remember the big day, Christmas day, when Camp Funston was a cheerful and exceptionally exciting place on The Way West.

“The Cowboy,” Jim Gray is author of the book Desperate Seed: Ellsworth Kansas on the Violent Frontier, Ellsworth, KS. Contact Kansas Cowboy, 220 21st Road, Geneseo, Kan. Phone: (785) 531-2058 or kansascowboy@kans.com.