Exploring the District: Pulaski County
For the final installment in my tour of the 16th Senatorial District, this week we’ll visit Pulaski County. The smallest of the five counties I represent, Pulaski County is the most populous, with about 52,000 residents. The big draw is Fort Leonard Wood, the county’s largest employer and best-known destination. The vast military installation occupies roughly one-fifth of Pulaski County’s 547 square miles and has a daytime population estimated at 32,000.
Organized in 1833, the county was named for Casimir Pulaski, a Polish-born military commander who distinguished himself during the American Revolutionary War. Drawn from Crawford County, some of the original land area of Pulaski County was subsequently carved off to form parts of Miller, Camden, Wright, Laclede and Maries counties.
Formerly Indian territory, the county was settled around 1818 by subsistence farmers. Today, the county ranks 58th in the state for livestock production, and is ranked No. 26 for hogs and pigs. Like several other counties in the district, transportation played a critical role in the history of Pulaski County. Early settlers followed ancient Indian trails, which later became wagon trails and eventually railroads and highways. The Frisco rail line, the “Wire Road,” Route 66 and now Interstate 44 all brought visitors and residents to the area. The rivers – primarily the Gasconade, Big Piney and Roubidoux Creek – also attracted sportsmen. Today, a significant portion of Pulaski County is occupied by the Mark Twain National Forest and the area remains a magnet for outdoorsmen.
Waynesville and St. Robert serve as major commerce centers outside the gates of Fort Leonard Wood. Other notable communities include Crocker, Dixon and Richland. A historic caboose and railroad museum in Crocker celebrate the area’s Frisco railroad heritage. Devil’s Elbow, named for a particularly tricky bend in the Big Piney River, is a favorite of Route 66 enthusiasts due to its picturesque setting, a historic bridge and a number of surviving period structures.
There are six public school districts in Pulaski County. The Waynesville Career Center offers vocational training for high school students from several districts and a number of Missouri colleges and universities have satellite campuses. The Truman Education Center at Fort Leonard Wood is the sixth-largest degree-granting institution in Missouri.
Waynesville, the county seat, is home to a 19th-century log cabin stagecoach stop – the oldest structure in the county – that now serves as a museum. Roubidoux Creek, which flows through town, attracts trout fishermen from across the state. The Roubidoux Spring, Missouri’s 15th largest, is popular with divers who explore underwater caves in the area. Waynesville’s Laughlin Park was once the site of a Cherokee encampment and is now listed as a certified historic site on the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail.
By far, the most significant event in the history of Pulaski County was the location of a U.S. Army training facility here in 1940. Named for a physician and Army chief of staff who once commanded Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Rider unit in the Philippines, Fort Leonard Wood sprung up almost overnight. In just six months, the Army built more than 1,600 buildings and cleared thousands of acres of rugged Ozarks countryside. During World War II, nearly 300,000 American troops trained at Fort Wood. The base also housed Italian and German prisoners of war during the 1940s.
Fort Leonard Wood was deactivated after World War II, but began training soldiers again during the Korean War. In the 1960s and ’70s, thousands of G.I.s completed basic training at the facility before heading to Southeast Asia. In recent decades, the facility has grown to become one of the U.S. military’s premier training installations. Each year, more than 80,000 civilians and military personnel pass through Fort Leonard Wood. Best known as an Army post, the base is actually a joint services facility that trains not only Army troops, but also members of the Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard and Marines.
The U.S. Army Maneuver Support Center, based at Fort Leonard Wood, is home to three specialized training facilities: the Army’s Military Police School; the U.S. Army Engineer School and the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School. A transportation training school and a program that teaches soldiers to operate power generation facilities are also located here. In addition, the 63,000-acre base is one of three Army facilities that provides gender-integrated in-processing and basic combat training. It is also home to the U.S. Army Reserves’ 102nd Training Division, the Missouri Army National Guard’s 35th Engineer Brigade and several deployable U.S. Army Forces Command units.
Although the base is largely closed to the public, the John B. Mahaffey Museum Complex is accessible by visitors. Three modern indoor museums recall the history of the Army’s engineers, Chemical Corps and military police. Nearby, the Fort Leonard Wood World War II Complex preserves a barracks, mess hall and chapel from the base’s earliest mission. A number of military vehicles are also on display outdoors. Visitors to the museums must check in at the main gate and show Real ID-compliant identification, prove vehicle insurance coverage and undergo a brief background check.
Whether the military brings you to Pulaski County or you come for the abundant wildlife and outdoor recreation available here, I trust you’ll find this region of the 16th Senatorial District memorable. I hope you have enjoyed this exploration of my Senate district and have learned a bit more about the history of this area. As I conclude this tour of the area I represent, I turn my attention to Jefferson City and the start of the 2020 legislative session on Jan. 8. In the coming weeks, I look forward to updating you on activities at the State Capitol.
It’s my honor to serve as your senator for the 16th District. If you have questions or need any assistance, please call my office at 573-751-5713 or log onto my webpage at https://www.senate.mo.gov/brown for more information.