After the U.S. declared war on the Central Powers on April 6, 1917, less than six years after Great Lakes opened, the number of trainees there rose by August from 618 to 50,000, and vast tent cities were built for volunteers. Captain Moffett, the commanding officer, organized this influx into regiments of 1,726 men, each a self-contained unit with its own administration building, galley, mess halls, dispensary, barracks, and training facilities. During the war, Great Lakes became the largest training station in the U.S., graduating 126,000 men, more than 25% of the U.S. Navy total. In this period, Great Lakes football and marching band gained national prominence, with the 1919 football team winning the Rose Bowl led in part by George Halas, later known as “Papa Bear” of the Chicago Bears, and the renowned marching band conducted by John Philip Sousa, the “March King,” performing across the world. After the Armistice, the United States entered uncertainty followed by economic recession in 1920 and 1921, and Great Lakes began a cutback program in which most temporary buildings were torn down, rented lands were relinquished, and most training was discontinued. In 1933, the Union League Club organized a local campaign that successfully petitioned Congress to restore the station to at least its pre-war status, bringing a period of minor growth. However, in 1922, during the depth of the Great Depression, Great Lakes Naval Training Station was closed and reduced to maintenance status. The local community again mounted a vigorous campaign, and the station reopened on July 1, 1935.
