For the initial group of approximately 3,000 Civil War and Spanish
American War veterans admitted to the Mountain Branch of the National
Soldiers Home, a wide variety of activities were available. Each
man that was able was expected to work and the goal of each
Branch of the Soldiers Home was to be as self-sufficient as possible.
Soldiers were organized into companies and issued uniforms for clothing.
The Home had its own food supply with a dairy farm and agricultural
area to grow crops. The daily menu
was designed for maximum nutritional value. The campus included its
own zoo and hotel and the variety of activities available made the facility
quite a tourist and regional recreation attraction for its time. The
daily lowering of the flag ceremony at the end of the day was quite
impressive. Living in such unique and beautiful surroundings did not
come without some personal accommodations by each enrollee. Curfew was
at 9:00 P.M. and persons unwilling to follow the rules of the station
would be dismissed from the Home or confined to the jail.
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