Second Expansion Period Group

Second Expansion Period Group. These warehouses were built for the Eighth Quartermaster Corps in 1921 as a supply depot for Army outposts and units away from Fort Bliss. Unrest related to the Mexican Revolution (1910-1921) led to the establishment of a string of border outposts. El Paso's strategic location on the border with Mexico at the hub of five railroads made Fort Bliss the natural center of logistics and supply for 25 Army outposts from Douglas, Arizona to the Texas Big Bend., Proposals for increased storage facilities had been made and funds requested of Congress during and since the huge buildup for the Punitive Expedition (1916-1917). Five years later, the Quartermaster Corps was still renting some twenty-five large buildings in El Paso., Other buildings constructed at Fort Bliss during this period include Fire Station No. 1, shops, stores, two granaries, and the Officers' Club., The growth of Fort Bliss during these years was unusual for an Army post of that time. Nationally, the period was one of military downsizing, reflecting American isolationism following the First World WAr (1914-1918; U.S. involvement, 1917-1918). Along with the creation of the First Cavalry Division, the Border Zone project made Fort Bliss viable during the inter-War years.