Also referred to as the 'East Garrison'

There was great activity on Angel Island during the Spanish-American War and the subsequent Philippine Insurrection, since Fort McDowell processed men going to the Philippines, and also received men returning from the islands. A Detention Camp was established on the east side of the Island, next to the quarry, in 1899 to house troops returning from the Philippine Insurrection who had been stricken with, or exposed to, contagious diseases. The first Army unit to occupy the camp was the 31st Volunteer Infantry, which had smallpox in its ranks.

In 1900, War Department Order 43, officially changed the name of all Army facilities on Angel Island to Fort McDowell, in honor or Major General Irwin McDowell, who had served in the Mexican War, led the Union Army at the first battle of Bull Run in the Civil War, and had been the Commanding Officer of the Department of the Pacific, with headquarters at the Presidio.

In May of 1901 the Detention Camp was moved to Point Simpton and a Discharge Camp was erected on the quarry site in its stead. The Discharge Camp was used to process soldiers returning from the Philippines. All needed facilities were available to the returning soldiers, including a railroad ticket office and Wells Fargo Express Company office. At the Discharge Camp, the men were processed for separation from the Army, given their final pay, and mustered out of the service. In the first eight months, 11,915 soldiers were processed and by 1905, some 87,000 men had passed through the camp.

In 1909, a major building began on what had been the site of the Discharge Camp, and Fort McDowell expanded into a Recruit Depot. In just a few years, a 600-man barracks, a new Post Hospital, a Main Mess hall with seating for 1400 men, officers' quarters, a guard house, and other buildings were constructed. Most of these buildings are still standing today.

During World War I, Fort McDowell's facilities were put to heavy use. About 4,000 men a month passed through the post, and overcrowding made it necessary to erect tent housing. Tents were also erected on the parade ground at the old Camp Reynolds site, and on Point Blunt to take care of the overflow. Men were issued uniforms and equipment, given rudimentary training, and then shipped to units in Hawaii, the Philippines, and the western United States.

In 1922, Fort McDowell became an Overseas Discharge and Replacement Depot, and became engaged in the processing of men going to the Pacific and men returning from overseas duty. By 1926 Fort McDowell was handling about 40,000 men per year - it was the largest troop staging facility on the west coast, and handled more troop traffic than any other post in the country. This activity was due to the fact that from 1900 to 1941, the only U.S. military bases outside the continental United States were those in the Pacific, at Guam, the Philippines, Panama, Wake Island, and Hawaii.

When World War II began, Fort McDowell became part of the San Francisco Port of Embarkation, together with Fort Mason, the Oakland Army Terminal, and Camp Stoneman. This began the busiest period in the Fort's history. More than 300,000 soldiers were shipped to the Pacific Theater of Operations through Fort McDowell.

The busiest period for the post occurred, however, when the war ended - 23,632 returning men were processed during December, 1945, the busiest month in the post's history. In that same month, the Main Mess Hall served 310,323 meals, including 3.5 tons of turkey for Christmas dinner, a record.

With the war over, military action began to diminish, and the reorganization of the San Francisco Port of Embarkation did not include Fort McDowell. No longer needed by the Army, the flag was lowered for the last time at the post on August 28, 1946.

Eight years after Fort McDowell was closed, the Army placed a Nike anti-aircraft missile base battery on the Island, one of twelve Nike batteries built in the Bay Area. The Angel Island battery had twelve launchers on the southeast corner of the island, with a ready room and radar on Mount Ida (now known as Mt. Livermore). The top of the island was shaved off to create this. About 100 men were stationed on the island, with the enlisted men housed in the old Post Hospital of Fort McDowell. The missiles became obsolete in 1962, and the battery was abandoned. Even though the missiles have been removed, this area is off limits to visitors. A photo page shows recent views.

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