Camp Scurry
Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Since 1848, smuggling, rustling and armed incursions by people on both sides of the Rio Grande were common. When the Mexican Revolution began, fear of violent attacks escalated. After Pancho Villa's raid in New Mexico on March 9, 1916, Brownsville, Harlingen, Llano Grande and other locations received national guardsmen. City officials lobbied to establish a camp in Corpus Christi, hoping the project would bolster the economy. The city, Nueces County and the Commercial Club offered to pay for all the required improvements needed to move troops from Brownsville to Corpus Christi. In August 1916, General Frederick Funston ordered the 2nd and 3rd Texas Infantry plus the Texas Brigade headquarters to move to Corpus Christi. The site for the camp, named after General Thomas Scurry, was a 200-acre pasture leased to a dairy farmer, more than a mile south of city hall. Forty buildings were erected, including 24 mess halls and three warehouses, all at no cost to the army. The soldiers stayed in approximately 450 16-square-foot tents, Soldiers daily routine consisted of strict training and guidelines, along with periodic sports and recreational activities in the camp and around Corpus Christi. The 2nd Infantry compiled an impressive football record, outscoring other units 432-6. Showing a strong connection between the camp and the community, large crowds of local residents watched football games, field day competitions and evening drills. The camp was unmanned for a month when guard units were ordered to return to their home states, but reactivated as a training site when the U.S. entered World War I. Camp Scurry not only provided training for National Guard and U.S. Army troops but also assisted in the growth of Corpus Christi and its economy. (2017)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
For decades after 1848 the Rio Grande border saw smuggling, rustling, and armed raids, and the Mexican Revolution sharpened fears of attack — especially after Pancho Villa's 1916 raid into New Mexico. Corpus Christi officials, hoping to boost the economy, lobbied to host troops, and in August 1916 General Frederick Funston ordered infantry and the Texas Brigade headquarters to a 200-acre camp named for General Thomas Scurry. Its soldiers drilled under strict routine — and fielded a football team that outscored rivals 432 to 6 — before the site was reactivated to train troops when the U.S. entered World War I.
Why it matters
Camp Scurry captures how the turbulent Mexican border and the mobilization for World War I turned Texas towns into training grounds that reshaped their economies and communities.
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Related people
- · Pancho Villa
- · Frederick Funston
- · Thomas Scurry
Related events
- · Mexican Revolution
- · World War I
Themes & tags
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