Fort Hunter Liggett facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Fort Hunter Liggett
Monterey County, California, USA
A public hotel within Fort Hunter Liggett
Coordinates	35°57′08″N 121°13′50″W / 35.952226°N 121.23065°W / 35.952226; -121.23065
Type	Training Reservation/military base
Site information
Owner	United States Army
Controlled by	IMCOM-Readiness
Open to the public	Yes
Condition	Active, in use
Site history
Built	1940
In use	1940–Present
Garrison information
Current commander	Col. Stephen S. Trotter
Garrison	80th Division (IT) 91st Training Division (Operations)

Fort Hunter Liggett is a large training area for the United States Army in Jolon, California. It is located in southern Monterey County, California. The fort was named in 1941 after General Hunter Liggett. Soldiers use this fort to practice important skills. These include field maneuvers (moving troops and equipment) and live fire exercises (shooting with real ammunition). It is about 25 miles northwest of Camp Roberts, California.

About Fort Hunter Liggett

Fort Hunter Liggett is a huge place. It covers about 167,000 acres. This makes it the largest United States Army Reserve post. An acre is about the size of a football field.

Where is it Located?

The fort has natural borders. The Salinas Valley is to its north. The Santa Lucia Mountains are on its east side. Los Padres National Forest is to the west. The border between Monterey and San Luis Obispo County is to the south.

Some of the land, about 52 acres, was given to Mission San Antonio de Padua. This old church now covers 85 acres. The Army and the United States Forest Service have also traded land. The Forest Service owns the nearby Los Padres National Forest.

Two mountains are close by: Junipero Serra Peak to the north and Bald Mountain to the south. The fort is also where the Nacimiento River and San Antonio River begin. A scene from the movie We Were Soldiers was filmed here. It showed helicopters flying over an old bridge on the Nacimiento River.

The Hacienda Hotel

There is a historic hotel on the fort called The Hacienda (Milpitas Ranchhouse). It is open to the public. Military personnel can stay there, and if there's room, anyone else can too. Part of The Hacienda has also been used as the home for the fort's commander.

Near the old main gate, there is a road to the "Primitive Campgrounds." This area has camper trailers and places to get water. There is also a central restroom and a small store.

Roads and Travel

Nacimiento-Fergusson Road runs through the fort. It is the only road that connects the Salinas Valley with Highway 1. This road goes between Cambria and Pacific Grove. However, in January 2021, landslides damaged the road. It is not expected to reopen until 2023 or 2024.

Climate and Weather

The area has a "Mediterranean" climate. This means it has dry, warm summers and mild, wet winters. The average temperature in the warmest months is above 10°C (50°F). In the coldest months, the average temperature is between 18°C (64°F) and -3°C (27°F). Summers are very dry, with much less rain than in winter.

People Living at the Fort

The United States Census Bureau counts the people who live permanently at Fort Hunter Liggett. In the 2020 census, 250 people lived there.

History of the Fort

A Sheridan M551A1 tank on display near the main entrance

In the 1920s, a famous person named William Randolph Hearst bought large areas of land here. He owned a company called Piedmont Land and Cattle Company. The beautiful Hacienda hotel was built during his time. It was designed by a famous architect named Julia Morgan.

Later, the government bought Hearst's properties. They also bought other private lands. This land surrounded the small town of Jolon.

The fort is named after Lt. Gen. Hunter Liggett. He was a commander and chief of staff during World War I. He worked under General John J. Pershing.

For many years, Fort Hunter Liggett was under the control of other military bases. It became its own sub-installation in 1952. From the 1970s to the early 1990s, the fort had two main jobs. It was a training area for the 7th Light Infantry Division. It was also home to the Training and Experimentation Command (CDEC). This group tested new Army and Marine Corps weapons. They used a "fake enemy" (called "OPFOR") to see how well the weapons worked.

Today, the fort is officially called the U.S. Army Garrison Fort Hunter Liggett. It also oversees Parks Reserve Forces Training Area (Camp Parks) in Dublin, California.

Changes and Training

In 2005, the Department of Defense decided to move the 91st Division to Fort Hunter Liggett. This was part of a plan to reorganize military bases.

In 2007, the Army created the Combat Support Training Center here. Training at the fort greatly increased. It went from about 300,000 "man-days" (days of training for one person) per year to over 850,000. This training happens all year round.

Soldiers from all parts of the Army train here. This includes active duty, reserve, and guard units. Even Air Force, Navy, Marines, and soldiers from other countries train at Fort Hunter Liggett. For example, the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force trained here in 2007.

Many improvements were made to the training areas. Several Tactical Training Bases (like small forward bases) were built. A special "shoot-house" was wired for training. The landing strip was improved for larger Air Force planes. A 7-mile live-fire convoy course was also built. This is the only training area in the U.S. Army where soldiers can practice shooting in a 360-degree circle with powerful weapons.

A new Army Reserve Center was built. The 91st Division moved into their new headquarters in May 2009. On September 11, 2010, this new building was named the Master Sergeant Robb G. Needham Army Reserve Center. It was named after the first 91st Division soldier to die in combat since World War II.

Filming Location

Fort Hunter Liggett has been used as a location for movies. Parts of the film We Were Soldiers were shot here. The fort was also used in the movie Clear and Present Danger, which starred Harrison Ford.

The fort was also shown in an episode of Road Trip with Huell Howser (Episode 147).

Wildfires at the Fort

Wildfires have happened at Fort Hunter Liggett.

• In 2002, a small fire burned 2,000 acres. It was started by a U.S. Forest Service employee's Jeep.
• In 2007, two fires burned 5,000 acres and 2,000 acres. One was caused by an electrical wire, and the other by sparks from live-fire training.
• In 2008, a large wildfire called the "Indians Fire" started nearby. It burned over 200,000 acres, including 9,000 acres on the fort. Over 3,000 firefighters stayed at Fort Hunter Liggett while fighting this fire.
• On August 13, 2016, the Chimney Fire started and burned onto the fort. It burned several thousand acres on the southwest part of the post.
• The Dolan Fire reached Fort Hunter Liggett in September 2020. This fire caused an evacuation warning for people at the fort.

Nature and Wildlife

The fort is home to many different types of nature. It has grasslands, chaparral (a type of shrubland), and oak woodlands. There are also several vernal pools. These are rare ponds that fill with water in winter and spring, then dry up.

The entire world's population of a rare plant called Santa Lucia mint grows only on Fort Hunter Liggett grounds.

Tule Elk Population

A group of tule elk (a type of deer) was brought to Fort Hunter Liggett in December 1978. Twenty-two elk were moved from another reserve. Two more elk were added in 1979. However, many of these elk were illegally hunted.

So, in December 1981, 26 more tule elk were brought from the Owens Valley. By 2002, this new group had grown to between 300 and 400 elk.

Images for kids

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  A public hotel within Fort Hunter Liggett

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  A Sheridan M551A1 tank on display near the main entrance