Menlo Park Fire Marks Century For First Station Built For War

MENLO PARK, CA -- As Americans reflect on Veterans Day less than two months prior to 2019, Menlo Park Fire commemorates its own historic milestone. Next year will mark the 100-year anniversary of the station that the U.S. government's War Department funded for training purposes.

The station supported Camp Fremont, where U.S. Army soldiers going to battle in World War I learned their training tactics. The war was labeled "the war to end all wars."

In its peak, the Menlo Park camp supported 28,000 soldiers and thousands of horses and mules that were featured in the story "War Horse." Also, 1,125 mostly temporary wood buildings were ironically erected with flammable materials.

The fire station is now home to Keplers Book Store and Menlo Center on El Camino Real.

--Image via courtesy of Menlo Park Fire Protection District