Camp Young (1)

Camp Young (1) (1942-1944) - A World War II desert training camp established in 1942 near Indio in Riverside County, California. Named for Lieutenant General Samuel B.M. Young, who had campaigned in the region and later became the first Army Chief of Staff. Abandoned in 1944. Camp Young Plan Overlaid with Modern Roads and Utilities. Note IH-10 at the bottom with Exit 168 Shown. History Established in 1942 as the first 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. General George S. Patton, Jr. established Camp Young and trained the 3rd Armored Division in desert tactics and maneuvers until he departed in August 1942. The camp remained the Administrative Headquarters and the focal point of maneuvers training until the California-Arizona Maneuver Area was closed in 1944. A series of 13 firing ranges were constructed south and west of Camp Young. The ranges were designed for small caliber arms and for mortar fire including 37mm, 75mm, and 155mm. Closure The camps were closed and training discontinued on 30 Apr 1944. Recovery of government property and removal of hazardous munitions and other materials continued well after the end of the war. Almost all the land acquired for the CAMA Area was declared surplus on 16 Mar 1944. The land acquired for the Camp Young site was transferred on 14 Jan 1947 to the Department of the Interior by Public Land Order No. 342. The Camp Young site consists of 3,279.89 acres. Shavers Army Airfield The U.S. Army built Shavers Army Airfield near Camp Young to support the training operations. The airfield opened in April 1943 and had a single unpaved runway. Post War Restricted use of the land continued after the war while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) supervised cleanup of the hazardous material and the removal of temporary facilities. Current Status Surface remains only, the outline of the camp road structure and the airstrip can be see from satellite views. One marker inside the camp area (use IH-10 exit 168). Several other markers located at the George S. Patton Memorial Museum (use IH-10 exit 173). The Shavers Army Airfield is still active now as Chiriaco Summit Airport (use IH-10 exit 173). Now a county-owned public-use airport with one asphalt surface runway measuring 4,600 by 50 feet and designated runway 6/24. {"selectable":false,"width":"500"} Location:IH-10 at exit 173 and exit 168, Riverside County, California. Camp Young map point is the Marker Location. Maps & Images Lat: 33.66418 Long: -115.78746 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: Camp Young 1,600' Shavers Army Airfield 1,713' See Also: California-Arizona Maneuver Area 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 100. Desert Training Center California-Arizona Manuever Area - Interpretive Plan (sic), Draft, U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, California Desert District, Riverside California, 1985, 78 pages, Pdf or Pdf. Links: Wikipedia - Desert Training Center Waymarking - Camp Young California Military Museum - Camp Young Desert Training Center Sky Trails - Camp Young] Desert Training Center George S. Patton Memorial Museum. Visited: No