Camp Williams facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Camp W. G. Williams |
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| South of Riverton, Utah | |
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Soldiers from the 19th Special Forces Group conduct training at Camp Williams
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| Coordinates | 40°26′15″N 111°55′32″W / 40.4375°N 111.9255°W |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | Utah Army National Guard |
| Open to the public |
No |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1928 |
| In use | 1928–present |
Camp W. G. Williams, often called Camp Williams, is a large training area for the National Guard in Utah. It is managed by the Utah National Guard. This camp is located south of Bluffdale, west of Lehi, and north of Saratoga Springs. It's about 25 miles (40 km) south of Salt Lake City.
The camp covers a huge area. It has about 6 square miles (16 km2) of flat land. It also has about 47 square miles (120 km2) of mountains. This mix of land helps soldiers train for different situations. Camp Williams is also where soldiers learn important leadership skills. This training is for active duty, National Guard, and Reserve soldiers.
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History of Camp Williams
The history of the Utah Army National Guard goes back a long way. It started with the Utah Territorial Militia, also known as the Nauvoo Legion. This group was similar to other militias in the United States. All adult men, aged 18 to 45, were expected to serve.
Early Militia Days
The militia helped protect important travel routes. They also took part in several conflicts. These included the Utah War and the Black Hawk War. During these times, different units of the militia held yearly training camps. The unit from Lehi often trained near where Camp Williams is today.
In 1887, the militia was stopped by the government. This happened during a time of disagreement between the United States government and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Forming the National Guard
By 1894, things had calmed down. The Utah Territorial Legislature allowed the governor, Caleb Walton West, to create The National Guard of Utah. About 20 years later, in 1914 and 1915, President Woodrow Wilson set aside 18,700 acres of land. This land was meant to be a permanent training ground for the guard.
This was the first official step for what would become Camp Williams. This original land is mostly rough and mountainous. It didn't have enough flat space for a main camp area. So, the State of Utah rented flatter land nearby. Later, they bought this land to build the main camp.
Establishing the Camp
Because of World War I, permanent buildings were not set up right away. The site was only used sometimes until the 1920s. In 1926 and 1927, the guard held its yearly training at the site. Then, in 1928, the camp was officially opened for permanent use. It was named Camp W.G. Williams.
The camp was named after Brigadier General William Grey Williams. This was to honor his service in wars, like the Spanish–American War. It also recognized his hard work in making the site a permanent training location.
Machine Gun Fire Incident
On September 19, 2010, a training exercise at Camp Williams caused a large fire. Soldiers were using a .50-caliber machine gun with live ammunition. This sparked the "Machine Gun Fire". The fire burned over 3,500 acres of land. Sadly, three homes in the city of Herriman were destroyed.
Utah Data Center
From 2011 to 2013, a very important building was constructed at Camp Williams. This was the Community Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative Data Center. It was built by the National Security Agency (NSA). This huge facility cost about $1.5 billion to build.
The data center is 1,500,000 square feet (140,000 m2). It is located on 200 acres where the camp's old airfield used to be. This facility greatly increases the NSA's ability to store and process a massive amount of digital information. This includes emails, instant messages, and phone calls from around the world.
