Camp Coxcomb
Camp Coxcomb (1942-1944) - A World War II desert training camp established in 1942 near Indio in Riverside County, California. Abandoned in 1944. HistoryCamp Coxcomb was constructed in the spring of 1942 as one of fifteen temporary World War II training camps in the southern California and Arizona desert areas. These training camps formed what was initially known as the Desert Training Center and then as the California-Arizona Maneuver Area after 20 Oct 1943. As the war entered a new phase in 1944, the camps were closed and training was discontinued on 30 Apr 1944. Temporary facilities constructed on the site include 39 shower buildings, 165 latrines, 284 various pyramided wood tent frames, and a 40,000-gallon wooden elevated storage tank. Deep well pumps provided water for the site. The camp had seven firing ranges for machine guns and small firearms. Camp Coxcomb Army AirfieldThe U.S. Army built an airfield at Camp Coxcomb to support the training operations. The airfield had a single 4,500' north/south runway located on the west side and adjacent to U.S. Hwy 95 about 13 miles northwest of Indio, California. ClosureCamp Coxcomb was declared surplus on 16 Mar 1944 and government land was transferred from the War Department to the Department of the Interior. The leased land was returned to the various owners. Post WarRestricted use of the land continued after the war while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) supervised the cleanup of the hazardous material and the removal of temporary facilities. Current StatusSurface remains only, the outline of the camp road structure and the airstrip can be seen from satellite views.
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Visited: 27 Nov 2022
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