Camp Dodge is located approximately ten miles Northwest of the city of Des Moines. It was named in honor of Major General Grenville M. Dodge, native Iowan, and one of the most brilliant military minds on the Union side during the War of the Rebellion.
The reservation comprises approximately 3,000 acres of land, of which 578 acres are property of the State of Iowa, the balance having been purchased by the Federal government.
The Iowa National Guard, except the 185th Artillery, trains on the reservation each year. Here, also, is located the State Arsenal and warehouses, and the office of the United States Property and Disbursing Officer. A fifty-target rifle range, with all ranges including 1,000 yards, is maintained.
Fifty mess halls were constructed in 1922, and since that date other buildings have been erected.
During the World War the Eighty-eighth Division, National Army, trained on this site, and more than 30,000 soldiers were trained here.
The camp, proper, is constructed on a level tract of ground between two ranges of hills. There are many trees which provide an abundance of shade on the hot August days during the field training period. Ample maneuver space is available on the reservation. The sandy soil quickly absorbs water, so training is not hindered to an appreciable degree by rainfall.
Improvements are being made yearly.
The Iowa National Guard justly boasts of having one of the finest training camps in the country, both as to facilities and natural beauty.
CIVILIAN STAFF
Left to Right: Miss Esther Thormann, Mrs. Hazel White, Miss Grace Inlow, Miss Eleanor Lunsman.
