When was the Camp Randall Arch installed?

The short answer is, “In the afternoon.” The longer answer is, “Later than intended.” The full answer reflects the winding process by which the university received its most vertically square Civil War memorial. The arch commemorates Camp Randall’s origin as a Union army training ground. Between 1861 and 1865, more than 70,000 Wisconsin soldiers passed through the camp, which had been named in honor of Governor Alexander Randall. The UW purchased the land in 1893 and built a football stadium in 1895. In 1911, on the 50th anniversary of the war’s beginning, the state legislature voted to place a memorial park on the site, complete with a 36-foot-high, 36-foot-wide triumphal arch, more or less modeled on the kind that Roman emperors would raise to celebrate their victories. The arch was allegedly designed by Lew F. Porter, though evidence for this is spotty. The park and arch cost the state $25,000, but the legislature drew the line at paying an additional $65.62 for a dedication ceremony. For some months, the design committee and the legislature sent each other peevish notes. But donors contributed, and eventually, the ceremony took place. Beginning on June 18, 1912, about 560 Civil War veterans began gathering, an impressive number considering that most of them must have been around 70, and the average American man’s lifespan was then about 51 years. At 2 p.m. on June 19, the dedication ceremony began, but attendees still had to sit through five songs and three prayers before it was done. Happy Memorial Day!