Camp Seeley' was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

training camp near

El Centro, California El Centro ( Spanish for "The Center") is a city and county seat of Imperial County, California, United States. El Centro is the most populous city in the Imperial Valley, the east anchor of the Southern California Border Region, and the core ...

in the Imperial Valley. At Camp Seeley was: the Camp Seeley Combat Firing Range, Camp Seeley Ordnance Desert Proving Ground and Camp Seeley Ordnance Training Center. The 17,574 acres Camp Seeley was 10 miles northwest of the City of El Centro, near the city of

Seeley, California Seeley is a census-designated place (CDP) in Imperial County, California. Seeley is located west of El Centro. The population was 1,823 at the 2010 census, up from 1,624 in 2000. It is part of the El Centro Metropolitan Area. History The fi ...

. The town is named after Henry Seeley, a pioneer of the

Imperial Valley The Imperial Valley ( or ''Valle Imperial'') of Southern California lies in Imperial and Riverside counties, with an urban area centered on the city of El Centro. The Valley is bordered by the Colorado River to the east and, in part, the S ...

. The camp was north of what is now

California State Route 98 State Route 98 (SR 98) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California. It is a loop of Interstate 8 (I-8) running west to east south of the Interstate through the border city of Calexico. It passes through the city of Calexico and ends east ...

. The tent camp, in the

Yuha Desert The Yuha Desert is a section of the Sonoran Desert located in the Imperial Valley of California, south of Interstate 8, west of El Centro, and north of the international border. Unique aspects of the Yuha Desert include the Oyster Shell Beds, ...

, opened November 1940, first based at the camp was the 11th Cavalry Regiment, the troops and Army horse came from the

Presidio of Monterey, California The Presidio of Monterey (POM), located in Monterey, California, is an active United States Army, US Army installation with historic ties to the Spanish colonial era. Currently, it is the home of the Defense Language Institute, Defense Langua ...

. At the camp the 11th Cavalry Regiment took part in desert training and teaching horses to swim across rivers with rider. 11th Cavalry Regiment moved to

Camp Lockett file:Camp_Lockett_map.jpg, World War II map of Camp Lockett Camp Lockett was a United States Army military post in Campo, California, east of San Diego, and north of the Mexico – United States border, Mexican border. Camp Lockett has historica ...

Campo, California Campo ( Spanish for "Field") is an unincorporated community in the Mountain Empire area of southeastern San Diego County, California, United States. The population was 2,955 at the 2020 United States census. The United States Census Bureau def ...

in December 1941. The 11th and 28th Cavalry Regiment also trained at the camp, along with the 75th Horse Field Artillery Battalion. In 1942 Camp Seeley was converted to a US Army ordnance proving ground. While the camp is closed the area of Camp Seeley the home of the Historical "The Colonel's Own." 11th Cavalry Horse Honor Guard. The US Army Quartermaster Test Command opened the Desert Test Command Headquarters in March 1942 at Camp Seeley. The ordnance proving ground job was to test armed vehicles, tanks, and trucks and jeeps. Camp Seeley had sand terrain and high temperatures for these tests. Live fire tests were not done at Camp Seeley, as live fire test was done in the nearby vast

Desert Training Center The Desert Training Center (DTC), also known as California–Arizona Maneuver Area (CAMA), was a World War II training facility established in the Mojave Desert and Sonoran Desert, largely in Southern California and Western Arizona in 1942. It ...

. The camp was transferred to the US Army Ordnance Department in August 1942, later renamed Ordnance Desert Proving Ground. The camp was closed on 18 April 1946 and returned to the

Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal lands and natural resources. It also administers programs relatin ...

. The former camp is now run by the currently a

Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands, U.S. federal lands. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the BLM oversees more than of land, or one ...

for off-road vehicle use.militarymuseum.org, Camp Seeley
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References

{{Imperial County, California El Centro metropolitan area Imperial Valley

See also

References