In 1916, Pierce County movers and shakers began lobbying hard for approval of some $2 million in bonds to pay for condemned land that would ultimately house Fort Lewis.

While some of the emphasis may have been due to sheer love of country and patriotic duty, a great bulk of the support rallied was for sheer economic prosperity in the South Puget Sound.

On Dec. 12, 1916, an article published in The Tacoma Daily News urged Pierce County residents to support the bond measure that would make a local military installation a reality. Even in those days, community leaders recognized the potential economic impact a major military base could play for a community.

"The secretary of war has further agreed to maintain permanently on this tract a division of mobile troops. Such a division consists of not less than 670 officers and 15,000 enlisted men. It is estimated that during the maneuver season, as many as 100,000 men would be operating in this terrain," the article reads. "While this proposed establishment has been referred to in the newspapers as an army post, it really is of far greater magnitude and, in the opinion of army officers, would grow to three times of the famed Presidio in California."

A letter to the editor published on Christmas Eve of the same year in the Tacoma News-Ledger said the following: "The impetus of this huge undertaking is bound to bring a large addition to our civilian population, both of the city and the county, as a vast amount of work will be provided in the construction and maintenance of this great army post, all of which is done by civilian labor. The maintenance of such a post here will also afford a large tourist travel."

The letter went on to estimate that Fort Lewis would generate some $5 million annually to the area's economy.

A slew of fraternal organizations, local municipalities and community organizations immediately endorsed the proposal. Some of the endorsers included: Ancient Order of United Workmen, Tacoma lodge No. 6; City of Tacoma; Fraternal Order of Eagles, Tacoma Aerie 3; Knights of Pythias Tacoma Commencement Lodge 7; the Chinook Tribe; Sons of Norway; and United Artisans No. 164.

Flyers posted around the community emphasized that the military installation would increase the population of the county by some 20 percent, provide a market for local farmers and ranchers, provide employment, increase profits to local business, increase property values, broaden civic life and bring additional investment into the community.

On Jan. 6, 1917, the voters of Pierce County approved the use of $2 million bonds to purchase some 70,000 acres of condemned land that would ultimately be gifted to the federal government for use as Fort Lewis. The measure passed by a six-to-one ratio.

Construction started six months later, and in just 90 days, some 10,000 laborers built 1,757 buildings and 422 other structures. Streets, roads and railroad spurs were underway. The main gate, which is still standing although no longer used, cost $4,000.

Some 90 years later, it's quite obvious the claims of local leaders about the impact of Fort Lewis to the South Sound were more than true.

Today, Fort Lewis remains an economic engine in the community as the largest employer in the county. Some economists estimate that nearly 40 cents of every dollar spent in Pierce County can be somehow traced back to the military.