Camp White was an
Army
An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...
training base located in
Jackson County,
Oregon
Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, during
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 ...
. It was also the site of a
prisoner-of-war (POW) camp. The camp was named in honor of
George A. White, who served as
adjutant general for Oregon starting in 1915.
History
On December 12, 1941, five days after the
attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...
,
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
appropriated $27 million to transform the
Agate Desert
The Agate Desert is a prairie located near White City, Oregon, of which is protected as the Agate Desert Preserve. The area is not in fact a desert as its name suggests; it is so named because of the abundance of agate, petrified wood, jasper, and ...
into Camp White. A portion of
Upper Table Rock was also used for training. The camp was dedicated September 15, 1942. Many of the troops trained at Camp White participated in the
Oregon Maneuver combat exercise in the fall of 1943. At its peak, the camp occupied nearly 50,000 acres and contained nearly 40,000 people, making it the second-largest city in Oregon at the time.
The camp was deactivated in April 1946.
[ There was a Camp White post office from 1942–60, when the name was changed to White City, the name of the civilian community that took Camp White's place.][
]
Documentary
''The Camp White Story: Southern Oregon Goes to War'' is a documentary
A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...
program produced by Southern Oregon Public Television (SOPTV) chronicling the transformation of rural Southern Oregon
Southern Oregon is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon south of Lane County and generally west of the Cascade Range
The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia thr ...
during World War II and focusing on the Camp White military facility. It is one of several programs produced by SOPTV documenting the history of Southern Oregon. The documentary chronicles the stories of the troops that were trained in this "Alcatraz
Alcatraz Island () is a small island about 1.25 miles offshore from San Francisco in San Francisco Bay, California, near the Golden Gate Strait. The island was developed in the mid-19th century with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fo ...
of Boot Camps" and the impact of the military base on the Southern Oregon economy. This program was produced in cooperation with the Camp White Military Museum. It was written by Ashland freelancer John E. Darling.
See also
*Denman Wildlife Area
The Denman Wildlife Area (originally the Rogue Valley Game Management Area) is a wildlife management area near Eagle Point, Oregon, in the United States. It was named in honor of Kenneth Denman, an attorney from nearby Medford, Oregon, who l ...
* Charles H. Gerhardt
*List of POW camps in the United States
In the United States at the end of World War II, there were prisoner-of-war camps, including 175 Main Camps serving 511 Branch Camps containing over 425,000 prisoners of war (mostly German). The camps were located all over the US, but were mos ...
*List of United States Army installations
This is a list of military installations owned or used by the United States Armed Forces both in the United States and around the world. This list details only current or recently closed facilities; some defunct facilities are found at :Former ...
References
External links
Camp White Military Museum
located in the United States Department of Veterans Affairs
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing lifelong healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers an ...
Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center & Clinics (SORCC) in White City
SOPTV presents ''The Camp White Story: Southern Oregon Goes To War''History of Camp White Station Hospital
from the SORCC
*
Buildings and structures in Jackson County, Oregon
1942 establishments in Oregon
Former installations of the United States Army
World War II prisoner-of-war camps in the United States
White City, Oregon
Military installations in Oregon
1946 disestablishments in Oregon
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