Camp Dodge (2)

Camp Dodge (2) (1907-Present) - A World War I National Army Camp established in 1917 on the site of a previous National Guard campground near Johnston, Polk County, Iowa. Named Camp Dodge in G.O. 95, 18 Jul 1917, after Major General Grenville M. Dodge, Union U.S. Civil War Commander. Active military installation. Camp Dodge Main Street Looking South circa 1918. Camp Dodge Hospiital circa 1918. World War I One of sixteen National Army Training Camps established in 1917 to train World War I draftees. Established in 1917 under the supervision of construction quartermaster Major Millard A. Butler on a site of about 6,400 acres. The camp was to have a capacity of 62,000 officers and enlisted men. The Camp was complete in November 1917 at an eventual construction cost of $ 11,700,000. Human Statue of Liberty formed by 18,000 Officers and Men at Camp Dodge, Iowa circa 1918. The first commander of the camp was Major General Edward Plummer (Cullum 2660) who formed the 88th U.S. Infantry Division and supervised the training of the troops. The 88th was organized in September 1917 and the first elements departed for France on 6 Aug 1918. By early September 1918, the complete division was in Europe. The 88th was initially a training Division and provided replacements for other units but the whole division was activated for overseas combat on 22 Jul 1918. The 19th U.S. Infantry Division was organized in September 1918 at Camp Dodge but did not complete training before the end of the war on 11 Nov 1918. At the end of the war, Camp Dodge became a demobilization center on 3 Dec 1918. The 19th Division was demobilized at Camp Dodge in January 1919 without being sent overseas. The 88th division returned from Europe in May 1919 and was demobilized at Camp Dodge in Jun 1919. In May 1921, 1,200 camp buildings were sold to the Northwest Lumber and Wrecking Company from Minneapolis who tore them down for salvage. In 1922 the camp was returned to the Iowa National Guard. The Iowa National Guard retained the government-owned property and the leased land was returned to the owners. The camp became the headquarters Iowa National Guard. World War II Camp Dodge was federalized during World War II and served as an induction center for draftees and volunteers. Following the war, the camp was returned to the State and continues as the Headquarters of the Iowa National Guard. Current Status The Iowa Gold Star Military Museum is Located on the Post. Active military installation, HQ Iowa National Guard, Johnston, Polk County, Iowa. Home to the Iowa Gold Star Military Museum. Location: Johnston, Polk County, Iowa. Maps & Images Lat: 41.7029768 Long: -93.7184730 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 846' GPS Locations: 41.70298, -93.71847 Camp Dodge (2) 41.70304, -93.71141 Iowa Gold Star Museum 41.73125, -93.72292 KDMX WSR-88D Radar Tower Sources: Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 285 Ayres, Leonard Porter, The War with Germany: A Statistical Summary, U.S. War Department, 2nd Ed, 1919, 147 pages Rinaldi, Richard A., The US Army in World War I - Orders of Battle, Tiger Lily Publications LLC, 2004, 244 pages Brief Histories of Divisions, U.S. Army: 1917-1918, U.S.A. General Staff, June 1921, 92 pages USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 2512057 Links: North American Forts - Camp Dodge Wikipedia - Camp Dodge Iowa National Guard - Camp Dodge Camp Dodge New River Notes - World War I Forces Visited: 7 Aug 2020