A SHORT HISTORY OF FORT IRWIN

From Palaver Invitations 51 - 75
Appendix A, referencing Palaver #54

by Jack Harris

Jack Harris, Palaver #82, 1995


The area that is now Fort Irwin has long been occupied as evidence uncovered by archaeologists reveal broken remains of cultures thousands of years old. During that period the dry lakes held water and areas such as Cave Springs to the north show indications that hunting parties of the Pinta Indians lived or at least camped there.

In 1776 Father Francisco Herenegildo Garses upon leaving the Colorado River on his way to the San Gabriel Mission, closely adhered to the Mojave River basin. His pioneered route was later known as the "Old Spanish Trail" and touched Red Pass Lake and Bitter Springs, both within the Fort Irwin boundaries.

Through the 1830’s and 1840’s caravans using the old Spanish trail were so harassed by Indians, led by Chief Walkara, that army Mormon Battalion troops, headquartered in the Cajon Pass, were used to patrol the area. To further guard the caravans a patrolling army unit built a small stone fort at Bitter Springs in the 1860’s.

With the discovery of Borax in Death Valley in 1885, a route was opened up through the confines of Fort Irwin. Starting at Saratoga Springs (Death Valley National Monument) the route went to Cave Springs, Bicycle Lake, Garlic Springs and Langford Wells before reaching the smelters in the Daggett area.

By the early 1930’s, with World War II looming on the horizon, General George Smith Patton 1885-1945, conducted armored vehicle maneuvers within the boundaries of Fort Irwin. It wasn’t until August 8, 1940, however, that President Franklin D. Roosevelt set aside 1,000 square miles for the army use. It was then known as the "Mojave Anti-Aircraft Range."

On October 29, 1942, the name was changed to "Camp Irwin" in honor of Major General George Leroy Irwin, 1868-1931, who commanded the 57th Field Artillery during World War I in France. There was some local opposition to the Irwin name, however, as Barstow residents preferred to honor General George S. Patton.

After World War II, during which time it housed Italian prisoners of war, Camp Irwin was deactivated and by 1948 all but abandoned. During this period the State National Guard and Army Reserve Units used the facilities on week-ends and through the hot summer months.

When hostilities broke out in Korea in 1951, the camp was renovated and designated as the Army Combat Training Center. In 1958 the California Mechanized Infantry started using the post as its training center with the following year the post became the Army Armor and Desert Training Center. On August 1, 1961, the post was designated a permanent Class I installation and re-named Fort Irwin with the National Guard permanently assigned there.

During the Vietnam buildup around 1965, many artillery and engineer units trained there. With the cutbacks in military spending after the Vietnam conflict, Fort Irwin was again facing closure with this becoming a fact on January 1, 1971. In the late 1972’s the California Army National Guard leased the fort for use on week-ends and the summer months and it became the Reserve Component Training Center. On June 25, 1977, the Pentagon confirmed rumors that Fort Irwin might be reactivated as a training post but it wasn’t until 1980 that these rumors proved true and the first army officers and supporting elements began arriving in October of that year.

On July 1, 1981, a six, 105mm howitzer salute officially opened Fort Irwin as the army’s National Training Center. It is now the largest army garrison in the Nation comprising an area of 650,000 acres or 1,000 square miles. It is located roughly 35 miles northeast of Barstow, 15 miles west of Baker and is adjacent to Death Valley National Monument to the north.

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