Camp Iron Mountain

Having enjoyed my visit to the Colorado River Aqueduct and "mystery mountain", it's time to continue on to my primary destination: Camp Iron Mountain.

 

Camp Iron Mountain was part of the U.S. Army Desert Training Center and is where General Patton's 2nd Armored Division was stationed. It was built in 1942 to prepare troups to do battle in North Africa during WW2. It's now designated as a California Historical Landmark.

 

At nearly 68,000 acres, it's very large. The camp had 15 shower buildings, 26 latrines, 113 wooden tent frames, an amphitheater, a 4,000-gallon water tank and two 3,000-gallon water tanks. There were six training ranges for rifle, handguns and machine guns. There were extensive life-fire exercises and warning signs are still on site regarding the risk of unexploded ordinance. 

The army did a good job removing everything when it closed the camp on March 16, 1944. The best preserved structures that remain today are two outdoor stone chapels. The Catholic Chapel is well preserved and is relatively easy to find. I wasn't able to find the Protestant Chapel, and I suspect it isn't as well preserved.

Camp Iron Mountain is completely fenced off. Any exploration must be done on foot, and like I said, it's a very large area. There are these funny little turnstiles every 100 yards or so that allow access. In the photo above, you can also see the Catholic Chapel in the background. The roads to get here are not maintained and there is soft sand in spots. I recomment 4WD.

 

Pathway to the Chapel.

 
I guess Patten wanted order at his camps. As you explore this camp, you see rock pathways everywhere, and I do mean everywhere. They line the streets, walkways, tent sites, and who knows what else. I can imagine these poor, young soldiers spending hours and hours and hours making perfectly straight lines out of rocks, with a drill sargent close by to berate the unfortunate soldier whose line waivers! And what kind of punishment awaited those who stepped outside the lines?!

I have no idea what this is. 

 

 

Perhaps this was a garden area?

 

Former shower or latrine site?

 

Soldier, flatten your trash!!

 

This walkway is like a portal to the mountain, with some seriously straight lines!

 

Red barrel cactus are very slow growing, but I doubt this guy was here in the 40's.

 

 

You can still find some rusty treasures as you explore the camp, but my guess is that much has been taken for "souvenirs" over the years. If you visit, please leave everything exactly as you find it.

 

The troops assemble, 1943.

 

As fascinating as Camp Iron Mountain is, my main goal for coming here was to try for a photo of the Milky Way arching over the chapel. I have my sleeping bag and tarp and will be "cowboy camping" (no tent), with a very early morning alarm. To get the brightest part of the Milky Way, I need to be shooting to the south, which means I would be photographing the back side of the chapel. Fortunately, the chapel looks pretty good from either side.

PhotoPills shows the galactic center right over the top of the Chapel at 3AM.

 

Playing around with lights.

 

3:00AM alarm. Disappointment as I wake up to heavy cloud cover. As you can see, there is no Milky Way in sight. Much too cloudy. Just a few stars. Still, a fun and memorable trip, and a location I look forward to returning to (on a clear night!).

 

Thanks for joining me on this adventure!

Linking with Skywatch Friday.