Lawrence-Fort Ben-Oaklandon in Marion County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
The Citizen's Military Training Camp (CMTC)
Camp Glenn's CMTC program connected civilian participants with military training.
Photographed by Daniel Barriball, July 25, 2025
1. The Citizen's Military Training Camp (CMTC) Marker
The finest feature of the CMTC is the spirit of typical democracy. Fifth Corps News, 1933
During the mid-1920s, the federal government initiated the CMTC program to create a "citizen nation". The program came during the post-World War I need to train leaders. It also coincided with the Great Depression. The camp provided training, education, room and board to thousands of unemployed young men.
Fort Harrison hosted its first CMTC in 1925, but it was in 1935 that Camp Glenn was constructed specifically for this purpose. Each session enrolled 3,450 cadets. Cadets lived in tents set up on 360 pads in the center of Camp Glenn. Six men lived in each tent. Mess halls, lavatories, warehouses, a camp exchange store, infirmary and headquarters made the camp self-contained.
CMTC was a month-long summer program for men aged 17-24. It included "military training, athletic activities, religious education and healthy entertainment." Upon completing four summers, an individual could receive a full commission as a Reserve Officer. The goal was to commission 10,000 new officers annually.
With the beginning of World War II, the Camp
this page online
Erected by Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Indiana State Parks.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Military. A significant historical year for this entry is 1925.
Location. 39° 51.543′ N, 86° 1.272′ W. Marker is in Lawrence, Indiana, in Marion County. It is in Lawrence-Fort Ben-Oaklandon. It is on Glenn Road, on the right when traveling south. This marker is in front of the visitor center in Fort Harrison State Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5753 Glenn Road, Indianapolis IN 46216, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Indiana and specifically in Greater Indianapolis. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At
Photographed by Daniel Barriball, July 25, 2025
2. The Citizen's Military Training Camp (CMTC) Marker in context
The Fort Harrison State Park Visitor Center is behind this marker.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Fort Benjamin Harrison (was approx. 0.4 miles away but has been confirmed missing).
More about this marker. The small museum in the visitor center is worth visiting if you would like to know more about the history of Fort Benjamin Harrison.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 7, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 30, 2025, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana. This page has been viewed 447 times since then and 213 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 30, 2025, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
