Sturgis Stadium honors the Sturgis family, whose three generations gave 119 years of active military service in the United States Army. Colonel Samuel D. Sturgis fought in the Indian Wars for 40 years from 1846 to 1886 as the American frontier expanded westward. His son, Major General Samuel D. Sturgis Jr., served in the U.S. Army with distinction for 41 years from 1884 to 1925. General Sturgis' son, Samuel D. Sturgis Jr., commanded Troop A, 9th Mounted Engineer Squadron as a First Lieutenant and in 1933 converted this draw into the present stadium. Twenty years later, Lieutenant General Samuel D. Sturgis Jr. became Chief of Engineers, U.S. Army, before retiring from active duty in 1956.