Camp Howze -- nr Gainesville, Cooke Co. TX
N 33° 41.742 W 097° 10.881
14S E 668555 N 3729901
Established in 1942 as an Infantry-training camp, several hundred thousand men trained here over the course of the war. Later Camp Howze became a German POW camp. Today only the cement POW barracks foundations, chimneys, and water towers remain.
Waymark Code: WMFHXR
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 10/23/2012
Views: 10
The remains of Camp Howze are visible along many ,milkes of Cooke Co. TX backroads. A historical marker, a few caches, and some waymarks carry the story of Camnp Howze to the later generations.
The coordinates bring you to a spot on N Lake Rd just off the FM1202, where some of the best Camp Howze ruins are. Drive E along N Lake Rd from FM1202 and see how huge Camp Howze was in its day. Today the ruins are intermixed with cattle ponds, hay feeders, and grazing cattle. On a good day you may get to see a coyote or two loping along.
From the Texas State Historical Assn. website:
CAMP HOWZE. Camp Howze, northwest of Gainesville in central Cooke County, was established by the United States War Department in 1942 as a United States Army infantry-training camp. It was located on a 59,000-acre tract purchased from local landowners beginning in December 1941 and named for Maj. Robert E. Lee Howzeqv, a Medal of Honor winner who had seen action in the Indian campaigns of the late nineteenth century, the Philippine Insurrection, and World War I. Col. John P. Wheeler activated the base on August 17, 1942, and Maj. Gen. John H. Hilldring was its first commander. With a troop capacity of 39,963 men, the camp served as the training ground for several hundred thousand men between 1942 and 1946. Among the units prepared for action in World War II were the 84th, 86th, and 103d divisions. Camp Howze also held German prisoners of war. The camp provided employment for hundreds of area civilians. In addition, the $20 million spent by the national government on Camp Howze fueled the local economy. In 1946 the camp was declared surplus, disbanded, and leveled. [end]
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Admission Fee: 0
Opening Days/Times:
24/7/365
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Visit Instructions:
Posting a picture(s) of the location would be nice although not required.