Historical Encampments of the GAR Department of Washington and Alaska - Department of the Columbia

Original GAR Charter for the Department of Washington and Alaska.

Used by Permission of the Washington State Historical Society, Tacoma, WA (Catalog ID #1963.92.1.3)

The Grand Army of the Republic's Department of Washington and Alaska, like all Departments of the GAR, met in an annual convention called an Encampment. At the annual Encampment, officers were elected and other official business was conducted. It was also an opportunity for GAR members to socialize and reminisce on their Civil War experiences.

To learn more about the individual GAR Posts within the Department of Washington and Alaska, please see here.

Below are listed the currently researched annual Encampments of the GAR Department of Washington and Alaska.

Number	Year	Date(s)	Location	Additional Information	Commander	Term	GAR Post of Dept. Commander**	Number of Posts***	Number of Members***
					Frederick W. Sparling*	10 Jul 1878-1883
1st	1883	20 Jun	Olympia	Details	George D. Hill*	28 Mar-20 Jun 1883	Stevens Post 1	7	312
2nd	1884	16-17 Apr	Vancouver		George D. Hill	1883-1884	Stevens Post 1	12	509
3rd	1885	15-16 Apr	Vancouver		Henry A. Morrow	1884-1885	Ellsworth Post 2	21	883
4th	1886	21-22 Apr	Walla Walla		Albert M. Brookes	1885-1886	Stevens Post 1	26	817
5th	1887	20-21 Apr	Tacoma		Charles M. Holton	1886-1887	Meade Post 9	32	740
6th	1888	18-19 Apr	Seattle		Amos P. Curry	1887-1888	Sedgwick Post 8	41	1,112
7th	1889	24-26 Apr	Spokane Falls		John Wilson Sprague	1888-1889	Custer Post 6	43	1,526
8th	1890	30 Apr-1 May	Ellensburg		Samuel G. Cosgrove	1889-1890	McDowell Post 22	51	1,897
9th	1891	22-24 Apr	Puyallup		Marcus M. Holmes	1890-1891	Stevens Post 1	63	2,686
10th	1892	8-10 Jun	Fairhaven		Don G. Lovell	1891-1892	Custer Post 6	79	2,706
11th	1893	14-15 Jun	North Yakima		Josiah S. Brown	1892-1893	Gen. J. L. Reno Post 47	81	2,793
12th	1894	20-22 Jun	Olympia		Joseph F. Sinclair	1893-1894	Lt. Cushing Post 56	78	2,816
13th	1895	12-15 Jun	Spokane		John N. Scott	1894-1895	Farragut Post 15	81	2,490
14th	1896	16-18 Jun	Tacoma		Norman Buck	1895-1896	Sedgwick Post 8	80	2,314
15th	1897	17-18 Jun	Vancouver		Charles T. Patterson	1896-1897	John A. Winslow Post 87	75	2,242
16th	1898	14-16 Jun	Walla Walla		John F. McLean	1897-1898	Abraham Lincoln Post 4	76	2,356
17th	1899	20-22 Jun	Seattle		George W. Tibbetts	1898-1899	Stevens Post 1	79	2,372
18th	1900	12-13 Jun	Ellensburg		James W. Langley	1899-1900	John F. Miller Post 31	80	2,484
19th	1901	25-27 Jun	Tacoma		Benjamin R. Freeman	1900-1901	Gen. J. L. Reno Post 47	85	2,624
20th	1902	24-25 Jun	Everett		Harry A. Bigelow	1901-1902	Stevens Post 1	91	2,759

*Provisional Department Commander

**At time of appointment or election

***In Good Standing

Note: This is not a complete list of the annual encampments of this Department through its entire history. As additional encampments are identified, they will be added.