The United States acquired the rights to Guantanamo Bay in 1903, as part of a treaty with the newly independent Cuba. The lease, which appears to have no expiration date, allows the US military to the use of some 19,500 acres of land and the waterways around them.
The US quickly set up a naval station.
The station was used for recreation and training. Sailor qualified on pistol and rifle, played baseball, swam in the warm waters, boxed and wrestled. "Fleet Champion" titles would be earned as multiple ships could heave to offshore, giving sailors a chance to catch up with friends who had been transferred.
Let's see what Guantanamo looked like through the real photo postcards taken by sailors in the early days, up to 1920.
All images are from Real Photo Postcards, over 100 years old and out of copyright protection.
"A Swimming Party at Guantanamo"
26 young men in swim trunks
No photographer (but likely to be Shaffer); AZO 4▲
No photographer (but likely to be Shaffer); AZO 4▲
"Ashore in Guantanamo"
Sailors in their whites, milling around the Fleet Canteen and ball field.
No photographer; AZO 4▲
"Ashore in Guantanamo"
Sailors in their whites, near the landing. Considering which way they're facing, they are probably waiting for the boats that will take them back to their ships.
No photographer (but same as the other with same title); AZO 2▲
"Ashore in Guantanamo. Liberty-men ready to return to the big ships"
Sailors at the landing.
No photographer (but same as the others with similar titles, may be intended to be a series?); AZO 2▲
"Bird's Eye View of Guantanamo Bay and Camp"
Tents -- probably Camp Meyer -- and the bay.
Camp Meyer was active on and off, about 1912 to 1916.
Photo by W.R. Heiss; AZO 2▲
"Breaking Camp. Guantanamo Cuba"
Sailors - marines? - with packs and weapons, breaking down tents. Again, probably Camp Meyer.
Photo by Shaffer (circa 1908-1912); AZO 4▲
The tents of Guantanamo. I don't know if this is officially Camp Meyer, or simply how sailors bunked before enough buildings were erected.
No photographer; NOKO paper, printed by Caulkins Photo Works, Oneonta, N.Y.
"Camp Guantanamo"
Two-man tents at the bay.
Photo by Shaffer (circa 1908-1912); AZO 2▲
"Fleet Canteen - Guantanamo"
Sailors milling around the Fleet Canteen.
No photographer; AZO 2▲
"Fleet Canteen Guantanamo, Cuba"
Shows a second canteen and bleachers.
No photographer; this is a photo rather than a postcard.
Landscaped buildings and walkways.
No photographer (probably J. Fugazy); AZO 2▲
"Guantanamo Cuba"
Sailors walking along unpaved road from the landing.
No photographer; AZO 2▲
"Guantanamo, Cuba"
Where the boats would land the sailors.No photographer; AZO 2▲
"Guantanama Bay, Cuba."
Bay, palm trees, and the completed YMCA (? - or is this the "enlisted men's recreation building?) on the hilltop.
I haven't found a definitive source to date the construction of the YMCA but have seen 1916 mentioned.
No photographer; AZO 2▲
"Guantanamo Bay, Cuba"
The bay, with a half dozen large ships anchored.
No photographer; AZO 2▲
"Life in Guantanamo, Cuba."
Sailors at the camp canteen buildings.
Unlike the earlier photograph, in this image it appears the buildings are further apart, with a path between them. It is also in the opposite direction, so I can't tell if the bleachers were present.
No photographer; AZO 2▲
"On the range - Guantanamo Cuba."
The 300-yard rifle range.
Photo by Shaffer; this card was printed on both AZO 2▲ and AZO 4▲.
"On The Target Range -- Guantanamo"
Appears to be the same 300-yard range, just closer to the other end.
Photo by Shaffer; AZO 2▲
"Prize Fights. U.S. Navy Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba."
Sailors fill the stands and crowd around a boxing ring as two men face off.
The card is embossed with "Krueger and Ott, Photographers, U. S. S. Florida"; AZO 4▲
""Returning aboard" Guantanamo Cuba."
Sailors moving from the buildings back to the bay.
Photo by Shaffer (the way this is cut off, the photo may have been pirated - published without Shaffer's permission or original negative); AZO 2▲
"Target Range, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba"
Sailors leaving the bay area, heading towards the buildings.
No photographer; AZO 2▲
Heading back to their ships.
Photo by Shaffer; AZO 4▲
The U. S. S. Monongahela was a wooden sloop finishing out her life as storeship posted to Guantanamo Bay. She caught fire and sank in March 1908. "Old Droopy," a salvaged cannon that had sagged from the heat, became a popular attraction and can be found on many postcards.
The printed title on this card was written over a script "to by" (presumably Photo by), "Guantanamo Monongohela" with something scratched out under "Cuba."
Photographer not named, but probably J. Fugazy; AZO 2▲
The YMCA would be located on a hilltop just off the left edge of this photo.
Photographer is printed on the back: J. Charland, Photographer, U. S. S. Ohio; AZO 4▲
"Rifle Butts Guantanamo Cuba"
Various ranges for practice and qualifying.
Photo by Shaffer; AZO 2▲
"Swimming Drill at Guantanamo"
The water doesn't look deep enough to swim in -
Photo published by (shown on back) Brown Bros. Naval Views. Cor. 29th St. & Washington Ave., Newport News, Va. (probably taken by Shaffer); AZO 4▲
"The Atlantic Fleet Leaving Guantanamo Bay, Cuba"
One of the few cards I've got that has something written on the back: Leaving Cuba. March 13, 1911
No photographer; Cyko paper 
""The Camp" Guantanamo."
Photo published by (shown on back) Brown & Shaffer, Newport News, Va. (probably taken by Shaffer); AZO 4▲
"U. S. Atlantic Fleet Bank Guantanamo Bay Cuba 240 Pieces"
No photographer; AZO 2▲
"U. S. Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba."
Stacked rifles and napping sailors. Toward the left, two guys wave a baseball and mitt.
Photo by White; AZO 2▲
"Rifle Range Guantanamo Bay, Cuba."
The shooting line has acquired a roof. An inked notation says February 1916.
No photographer; AZO 4▲
"Target practice Guantanamo, Cuba."
Postmarked March 1913.
No photographer.
Inked note says X is the 200 yd. rifle ranges. farther over is from 300 to 1000 yds. This is only part of the small arms butts at Guantanamo bay Cubay. These are the pistol butts
No photographer; AZO 4▲and postmarked February 1911
Sailors diving from a ship. The penciled note on the back reads I was in swimming the day this was taken. But some how I didn't get in the picture. This was taken at guantanamo Cuba.
Photo by (printed on back) Andres & Eakin, U. S. Idaho; AZO 4 ▲The Naval Medical Bulletin, vol. 6, 1912 contained some Notes on Camp Meyer, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. *
Camp Meyer was established on Deer Point, Guantanamo Bay, March 13, 1911, and continued until June 18, with an average complement of over 2,000 marines.
Deer Point is a plateau about 30 feet high, 150 yards wide, extending for 1,000 yards westward into Guantanamo Bay. The sides fall abruptly to the water level, where there is on the north side a narrow beach; on the south side there is at low tide a flat, formerly covered by mangroves which have been cut away. The prevailing winds at this season blow from the east all day and from the north at night. Tropical showers were frequent during April and May and flooded many of the tents until ditching was completed; the porous soil dried quickly after the rains. A fine dust of powdered coral was everywhere and could be seen from the bay as a cloud hanging high over the camp.
[there is some discussion of sanitation and trash handling that you're welcome to read for yourself - ]
Mosquitos became very numerous after the rains began, particularly on the target range, where the men in the pits were attacked in great numbers which bred in the pools near by. No new cases of malaria developed, although several who had had malaria previously received treatment; all these cases were mild. Many men were bitten by scorpions and tarantulas, but all were limited to mild local inflammation.
[a paragraph about the medical staff and facilities]
During the first weeks of the camp a large number suffered with catarrhus intestinalis of varying degrees of severity [diarrhea to you and me]; there were no fatal cases and, as the men became inured to the heat and the changed conditions of camp life, these cases ceased to appear.
Five cases of typhoid fever developed before the protective inoculation was begun. These cases were sporadic and some were probably infected while on board ship. Only one case developed after inoculation was started, and he had had only the first injection ...
Cases of heat prostration were numerous, particularly during the rainy months, when the humidity was excessive; there were no cases of heat exhaustion and all cases yielded promptly to treatment. A number of cases of mumps and measles developed and were immediately isolated; these cases were mostly from companies composed largely of recruits, and these companies were inspected daily, so that new cases were quickly detected and spreading of the disease prevented. Purulent infections of the external ear were common, probably due to the dust and swimming in the bay.
So: Typhoid. Scorpions. The Runs. Dust and a rainy season.
Fun place!
For your reference, AZO 2▲ means this -
and AZO 4▲ means this -
If you're interested in acquiring real photo postcards on this subject, they are fairly common on sites like eBay and Hippostcard and CardCow. Cameras in the 1910s weren't cheap but were available, and there were certainly lots of sailors rotated through Guantanamo. Most RPPCs can be bought for $10 or less, especially if you're patient.
I would enjoy finding out more about this subject. Drop me a message!
* [United States Naval Medical Bulletin Vol. 6, Nos. 1-4, 1912 : U.S. Navy. Bureau of Medicine and Surgery : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive accessed 12/26/2021]
Last revision: 12/26/2021
