Camp Hale
Encyclopedia
Camp Hale, between Red Cliff
and Leadville
in the Eagle River
valley in Colorado
, was a U.S. Army
training facility constructed in 1942 for what became the 10th Mountain Division. It was named for General Irving Hale
.
Soldiers were trained in mountain climbing, Alpine and Nordic skiing
, and cold-weather survival. When it was in full operation, approximately 15,000 soldiers were housed there, including those, such as Pete Seibert
, who returned to the area in the early 1960s to build the resort village of Vail, north of the camp.
The creation of an elite ski corps was a national effort with the National Association of Ski Patrol, local ski clubs, and Hollywood helping. Enough men were recruited to create three army regiments, which were deployed after training. Camp Hale was decommissioned in November 1945.
tactics of the Finnish army
during the Winter War
. Early in the effort 8000 skiers and outdoorsmen were recruited. The camp built to accommodate the effort at a cost of $30 million.
The War Department
chose the location because the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
stopped at Pando Rail Station and historically the snowfall in the Tennessee Pass
area was plentiful and guaranteed. Construction of the camp began in the spring of 1942 and finished seven months later; during that period Highway 24
was moved, a sewage system installed to prevent pollution in the near-by town of Red Cliff
, and the meadow drained. Additionally, the nearby town of Leadville, the only source of recreation for the trainees, was persuaded to change its moral character, perceived "to be on a rather low plane".
The camp included mess halls, infirmaries, a ski shop, administrative offices, a movie theater, and stables for livestock. White painted barracks for 15,000 soldiers were built straight lines on the mountain meadow, but when the first trainees of the 87th Regiment of the 10th Light Division, quickly renamed the 10th Mountain Division
, arrived in the winter of 1942 only a small portion of barracks were filled. The War Department needed to train more skiers in the elite fighting ski corps and asked the American Ski Patrol Association to contact ski racing clubs, ski schools, and local patrol units, nationwide—each applicant had to supply three letters of recommendation.
, starring Sonja Henie
, and featuring the Glenn Miller Orchestra
, and filmed on location in Sun Valley
. The movie was a hit and the Hollywood effort helped to interest trainees in the ski corps. Two more war-time movies were made, each filmed at Camp Hale, featuring the white-clad elite troops—Mountain Fighters in 1943 and I Love a Soldier in 1944. The ski corps, additionally, were featured on national magazine covers and popular radio shows. Although the effort brought in recruits to add the 86th and 85th Regiments for a full division, recruiters realized not enough skiers existed to fill the new regiments and the effort was expanded to bring in rugged outdoors-men with the slogan that the 10th Mountain Division was made up of "college boys to cowboys". In addition, 200 women from the Women's Army Corps
were brought in for administrative support.
s; recreation was non-existent because of the camp's high mountain isolation, which prevented even the USO from visiting; and many of the non-skiing trainees hated skiing. Trainees were taught to ski at Cooper Hill
by ski-instructors, brought from the ski-areas such as Sun Valley and Waterville Valley, some of whom were Austrian. Located three miles from the camp, Cooper Hill had on-site barracks for the instructors and a newly built T-bar ski-lift for the trainees.
Military use of Camp Hale included the 10th Mountain Division, the 38th Regimental Combat Team, 99th Infantry Battalion (Separate), and soldiers from Fort Carson conducting mountain and winter warfare training exercises.
Camp Hale was active for three years; in 1945 the camp was deactivated and the 10th Mountain Division moved to Texas. During the period of activation the trainees were taught skiing, mountain climbing, snow survival skills (such as building snow cave
s), and winter combat.
drove away with German Sergeants Heinrich Kikillus and Erhard Schwichtenberg. They made it to Mexico before being arrested and turned over to U.S. authorities. In an unrelated scandal, in March 1944, five WAC
s were charged with exchanging notes with the prisoners. Three received sentences of four to six months and were dishonorably discharged.
were secretly trained at Camp Hale by the CIA
. The site was chosen because of the similarities of the terrain with the Himalayan Plateau. The Tibetans
nicknamed the camp "Dhumra", meaning "The Garden". The CIA circulated a story in the local press that Camp Hale was to be the site of atomic tests and would be a high security zone. Until the camp was closed in 1964, the entire area was cordoned off and its perimeter patrolled by military police
. In all, around 259 Tibetans were trained at Camp Hale. After Camp Hale was dismantled in 1964, no Tibetans remained in Colorado. From 1958 to 1960, Anthony Poshepny
trained various special missions teams, including Tibetan Kham
bas and Hui
Muslims, for operations in China
against the Communist government.
In 1964, Camp Hale was dismantled and the land was deeded to the U.S. Forest Service
. Since 1974, the area has become a youth development training center. An Eagle County non-profit organization, SOS Outreach, has used the site to expose disadvantaged youth to many of the same outdoor challenges experienced by the 10th Mountain Division.
at the site in conjunction with several other government agencies. This effort is still ongoing.
Most of the remnants of Camp Hale are located in the White River National Forest. There are camping grounds where overnight camping is permitted on this former army base. Several informational plaques are located throughout the area. These plaques contain historical information about camp construction, the "Viking Batallion", ski training, rock climbing/alpine training, the motor pool area, CIA training, and camp entertainment.
Red Cliff, Colorado
Red Cliff is a Statutory Town in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The population was 289 at the 2000 census. The town is a former mining camp situated in the canyon of the upper Eagle River just off U.S. Highway 24 north of Tennessee Pass...
and Leadville
Leadville, Colorado
Leadville is a Statutory City that is the county seat of, and the only municipality in, Lake County, Colorado, United States. Situated at an elevation of , Leadville is the highest incorporated city and the second highest incorporated municipality in the United States...
in the Eagle River
Eagle River (Colorado)
The Eagle River is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately long, in west central Colorado in the United States.It rises in southeastern Eagle County, at the continental divide, and flows northwest past Gilman, Minturn, Avon...
valley in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, was a U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
training facility constructed in 1942 for what became the 10th Mountain Division. It was named for General Irving Hale
Irving Hale
Irving Hale was a brigadier general of the United States of America who served in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War and the early stages of the Philippine-American War....
.
Soldiers were trained in mountain climbing, Alpine and Nordic skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
, and cold-weather survival. When it was in full operation, approximately 15,000 soldiers were housed there, including those, such as Pete Seibert
Pete Seibert
Peter W. Seibert was an American skier and the founder of Vail Ski Resort in Colorado. In 1980 he was inducted into the Colorado Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame....
, who returned to the area in the early 1960s to build the resort village of Vail, north of the camp.
The creation of an elite ski corps was a national effort with the National Association of Ski Patrol, local ski clubs, and Hollywood helping. Enough men were recruited to create three army regiments, which were deployed after training. Camp Hale was decommissioned in November 1945.
Construction
The armed ski corps in the US was based on the Ski warfareSki warfare
Ski warfare, the use of ski-equipped troops in war, is first recorded by the Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus in the 13th century. The speed and distance that ski troops are able to cover is comparable to that of light cavalry.-History:...
tactics of the Finnish army
Finnish Army
The Finnish Army is the land forces branch of the Finnish Defence Forces.Today's Army is divided into six branches: the infantry , field artillery, anti-aircraft artillery, engineers, signals, and materiel troops.-History of the Finnish Army:Between 1809 and 1917 Finland was an autonomous part of...
during the Winter War
Winter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
. Early in the effort 8000 skiers and outdoorsmen were recruited. The camp built to accommodate the effort at a cost of $30 million.
The War Department
United States Department of War
The United States Department of War, also called the War Department , was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army...
chose the location because the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to Rio Grande or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, is a defunct U.S. railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow gauge line running south from Denver, Colorado in 1870; however, served mainly as a transcontinental...
stopped at Pando Rail Station and historically the snowfall in the Tennessee Pass
Tennessee Pass (Colorado)
Tennessee Pass elevation is a high mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado in the United States.The pass traverses the continental divide north of Leadville in a gap between the northern end of the Sawatch Range to the west and the northern end of the Mosquito Range to the east...
area was plentiful and guaranteed. Construction of the camp began in the spring of 1942 and finished seven months later; during that period Highway 24
U.S. Route 24
U.S. Route 24 is one of the original United States highways of 1926. It originally ran from Pontiac, Michigan, in the east to Kansas City, Missouri, in the west. Today, the highway's eastern terminus is west of Clarkston, Michigan, at an intersection with I-75 and its western terminus is near...
was moved, a sewage system installed to prevent pollution in the near-by town of Red Cliff
Red Cliff, Colorado
Red Cliff is a Statutory Town in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The population was 289 at the 2000 census. The town is a former mining camp situated in the canyon of the upper Eagle River just off U.S. Highway 24 north of Tennessee Pass...
, and the meadow drained. Additionally, the nearby town of Leadville, the only source of recreation for the trainees, was persuaded to change its moral character, perceived "to be on a rather low plane".
The camp included mess halls, infirmaries, a ski shop, administrative offices, a movie theater, and stables for livestock. White painted barracks for 15,000 soldiers were built straight lines on the mountain meadow, but when the first trainees of the 87th Regiment of the 10th Light Division, quickly renamed the 10th Mountain Division
10th Mountain Division
The 10th Mountain Division is a light infantry division of the United States Army based at Fort Drum, New York. It is a subordinate unit of the XVIII Airborne Corps and the only division-sized element of the U.S. Army to specialize in fighting under harsh terrain and weather conditions...
, arrived in the winter of 1942 only a small portion of barracks were filled. The War Department needed to train more skiers in the elite fighting ski corps and asked the American Ski Patrol Association to contact ski racing clubs, ski schools, and local patrol units, nationwide—each applicant had to supply three letters of recommendation.
Recruitment
After 1942 problems in communication caused by the war slowed the recruitment effort. However, that year, Darryl Zanuck released Sun Valley SerenadeSun Valley Serenade
Sun Valley Serenade is a 1941 musical film starring Sonja Henie, John Payne, Glenn Miller, Milton Berle, and Lynn Bari. It features The Glenn Miller Orchestra as well as dancing by The Nicholas Brothers and Dorothy Dandridge, performing "Chattanooga Choo Choo", which was nominated for an Academy...
, starring Sonja Henie
Sonja Henie
Sonja Henie was a Norwegian figure skater and film star. She was a three-time Olympic Champion in Ladies Singles, a ten-time World Champion and a six-time European Champion . Henie won more Olympic and World titles than any other ladies figure skater...
, and featuring the Glenn Miller Orchestra
Glenn Miller Orchestra
The Glenn Miller Orchestra was originally formed in 1938 by Glenn Miller. It was arranged around a clarinet and tenor saxophone playing melody, while three other saxophones played the harmony...
, and filmed on location in Sun Valley
Sun Valley, Idaho
Sun Valley is a resort city in Blaine County in the central part of the U.S. state of Idaho, adjacent to the city of Ketchum, lying within the greater Wood River valley. Tourists from around the world enjoy its skiing, hiking, ice skating, trail riding, tennis, and cycling. The population was 1,427...
. The movie was a hit and the Hollywood effort helped to interest trainees in the ski corps. Two more war-time movies were made, each filmed at Camp Hale, featuring the white-clad elite troops—Mountain Fighters in 1943 and I Love a Soldier in 1944. The ski corps, additionally, were featured on national magazine covers and popular radio shows. Although the effort brought in recruits to add the 86th and 85th Regiments for a full division, recruiters realized not enough skiers existed to fill the new regiments and the effort was expanded to bring in rugged outdoors-men with the slogan that the 10th Mountain Division was made up of "college boys to cowboys". In addition, 200 women from the Women's Army Corps
Women's Army Corps
The Women's Army Corps was the women's branch of the US Army. It was created as an auxiliary unit, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps on 15 May 1942 by Public Law 554, and converted to full status as the WAC in 1943...
were brought in for administrative support.
Training
By 1943, Camp Hale had as many as 14,000 men in training. Conditions in the camp were harsh: the altitude required acclimation; the shallow valley created polluted inversion layerInversion (meteorology)
In meteorology, an inversion is a deviation from the normal change of an atmospheric property with altitude. It almost always refers to a temperature inversion, i.e...
s; recreation was non-existent because of the camp's high mountain isolation, which prevented even the USO from visiting; and many of the non-skiing trainees hated skiing. Trainees were taught to ski at Cooper Hill
Ski Cooper
Ski Cooper, which opened as Cooper Hill Ski Area in 1941, is a small alpine ski resort in Colorado. It has one double, one triple, two poma lifts, and one carrot lift...
by ski-instructors, brought from the ski-areas such as Sun Valley and Waterville Valley, some of whom were Austrian. Located three miles from the camp, Cooper Hill had on-site barracks for the instructors and a newly built T-bar ski-lift for the trainees.
Military use of Camp Hale included the 10th Mountain Division, the 38th Regimental Combat Team, 99th Infantry Battalion (Separate), and soldiers from Fort Carson conducting mountain and winter warfare training exercises.
Camp Hale was active for three years; in 1945 the camp was deactivated and the 10th Mountain Division moved to Texas. During the period of activation the trainees were taught skiing, mountain climbing, snow survival skills (such as building snow cave
Snow cave
A snow cave is a shelter constructed in snow by certain animals in the wild, human mountain climbers, winter recreational enthusiasts, and winter survivalists. It has thermal properties similar to an Igloo and is particularly effective at providing protection from wind as well as low temperatures...
s), and winter combat.
Prisoner of war camp
Camp Hale held "about 400 of the most incorrigible members of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's Afrika Corps". On February 15, 1944, guard Private Dale MapleDale Maple
Dale H. Maple was a private in the United States Army in World War II who helped two German prisoners of war escape in 1943. They were recaptured, and Maple was sentenced to death by hanging. He was the first American soldier ever convicted of a crime equivalent to treason...
drove away with German Sergeants Heinrich Kikillus and Erhard Schwichtenberg. They made it to Mexico before being arrested and turned over to U.S. authorities. In an unrelated scandal, in March 1944, five WAC
Women's Army Corps
The Women's Army Corps was the women's branch of the US Army. It was created as an auxiliary unit, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps on 15 May 1942 by Public Law 554, and converted to full status as the WAC in 1943...
s were charged with exchanging notes with the prisoners. Three received sentences of four to six months and were dishonorably discharged.
1960s
From 1959 to 1964, Tibetan guerrillasChushi Gangdruk
Chushi Gangdruk was an organization of Tibetan guerrilla fighters who attempted to overthrow the rule of the People's...
were secretly trained at Camp Hale by the CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
. The site was chosen because of the similarities of the terrain with the Himalayan Plateau. The Tibetans
Tibetan people
The Tibetan people are an ethnic group that is native to Tibet, which is mostly in the People's Republic of China. They number 5.4 million and are the 10th largest ethnic group in the country. Significant Tibetan minorities also live in India, Nepal, and Bhutan...
nicknamed the camp "Dhumra", meaning "The Garden". The CIA circulated a story in the local press that Camp Hale was to be the site of atomic tests and would be a high security zone. Until the camp was closed in 1964, the entire area was cordoned off and its perimeter patrolled by military police
Military police
Military police are police organisations connected with, or part of, the military of a state. The word can have different meanings in different countries, and may refer to:...
. In all, around 259 Tibetans were trained at Camp Hale. After Camp Hale was dismantled in 1964, no Tibetans remained in Colorado. From 1958 to 1960, Anthony Poshepny
Anthony Poshepny
Anthony Alexander Poshepny , known as Tony Poe, was a CIA paramilitary officer in what is now called Special Activities Division...
trained various special missions teams, including Tibetan Kham
Kham
Kham , is a historical region covering a land area largely divided between present-day Tibetan Autonomous Region and Sichuan province, with smaller portions located within Qinghai, Gansu and Yunnan provinces of China. During the Republic of China's rule over mainland China , most of the region was...
bas and Hui
Hui people
The Hui people are an ethnic group in China, defined as Chinese speaking people descended from foreign Muslims. They are typically distinguished by their practice of Islam, however some also practice other religions, and many are direct descendants of Silk Road travelers.In modern People's...
Muslims, for operations in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
against the Communist government.
In 1964, Camp Hale was dismantled and the land was deeded to the U.S. Forest Service
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
. Since 1974, the area has become a youth development training center. An Eagle County non-profit organization, SOS Outreach, has used the site to expose disadvantaged youth to many of the same outdoor challenges experienced by the 10th Mountain Division.
Present Day
In 2003, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began a cleanup effort to remove some of the unexploded ordnanceUnexploded ordnance
Unexploded ordnance are explosive weapons that did not explode when they were employed and still pose a risk of detonation, potentially many decades after they were used or discarded.While "UXO" is widely and informally used, munitions and explosives of...
at the site in conjunction with several other government agencies. This effort is still ongoing.
Most of the remnants of Camp Hale are located in the White River National Forest. There are camping grounds where overnight camping is permitted on this former army base. Several informational plaques are located throughout the area. These plaques contain historical information about camp construction, the "Viking Batallion", ski training, rock climbing/alpine training, the motor pool area, CIA training, and camp entertainment.
Sources
- "Veterans Closer than Brothers". The Denver Post. July 29, 2007. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
- Cowan, Jay. Big Pete's Last Drive. The Aspen Times. February 17, 2007. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
- Govan, Thomas B., Captain. History of the Tenth Light Division (Alpine) The Army Ground Forces Study, No. 28. 1946. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
- Govan, Thomas B., Captain. "The Army Ground Forces:Training For Mountain and Winter Warfare" The Army Ground Forces Study, No. 23. 1946. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
- Shelton, Peter. Climb to Conquer: The Untold Story of WWII's 10th Mountain Division. Scribner, 2003. ISBN 0-7432-2606-2.
External links
- http://wikimapia.org/#lat=39.4354887&lon=-106.3227224&z=17&l=0&m=b Map of Camp Hale
- Camp Hale.org - history
- Metropolitan State College of Denver - website about Camp Hale
- 99th Infantry Battalion (Separate) Official website for the 99th Infantry Battalion (Separate) with many pictures from Camp Hale
- Asian American Media.org - CIA's involvement in the Tibetan resistance
- http://www.vaildaily.com/apps/pbcs.dll/misc?url=/templates/zoom.pbs&Site=VD&Date=20060526&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=105260036&Ref=V3&Z=A%20fourth%20grader%20from%20Brush%20Creek%20climbs%20at%20Camp%20Hale%20last%20week.%20Rock%20climbing%20was%20part%20of%20an%20alternative%20trip%20scheduled%20instead%20of%20the%20annual%20trip%20to%20Colorado%20National%20Monument.&P=Special%20to%20the%20DailyPhotograph of Camp Hale in 2006] - from the Vail DailyVail DailyThe Vail Daily is a free, 15,000 circulation newspaper in Eagle County, Colorado, published seven days a week. The Vail Daily is distributed in stores, coffee shops, restaurants, bars and workplaces and also has a comprehensive online website. The Vail Daily covers the Colorado communities of...