During the 1898 Spanish-American War, the Navy recognized that more than half of the American sailors in that war had come from the Midwest, leading Congressman Foss of Illinois to suggest training recruits at a Midwestern facility. The Naval Appropriation Act of July 1, 1902 included a recommendation to Congress for a suitable site for a 1,500-capacity Naval Training Station on the Great Lakes, and Lake Bluff, Illinois, with its rail connections, harbor possibilities, picturesque setting, and southern lake location, was the favored site. After local citizens privately raised funds to give the land to the government, President Theodore Roosevelt approved the board's report and authorized establishment of the station at Lake Bluff on November 24, 1904. Navy Captain Albert Ross, U.S.N., became the first commandant, and Civil Engineer Corps Captain George A. McKay, U.S.N., was appointed engineer for the original construction. From 1905 to 1911, the station at Great Lakes was designed and built, with prominent Chicago architect Jarvis Hunt commissioned for the project. The site's natural contours divided the station into four areas: the Main Training Camp, Receiving Camp, Naval Hospital, and Marine Barracks and Guard House. Great Lakes Naval Training Station was officially dedicated on October 28, 1911, with President William Howard Taft and Secretary of the Navy George Von L. Mayer attending the graduation of the first company of recruits.
