Camp Adair was for a brief time the second largest city in Oregon. it had over 1800 structures including theaters, chapels, barracks and more. It was the training ground for four infantry divisions during the Second World War. A nearby memorial honors the members of these divisions. Today almost nothing remains and most of the camp is part of the EE Wilson Wildlife Area.
The Salem Public Libraries "Oregon Historic Photograph Collections" has many photographs digitized and online. They give an idea of the scope of the camp that cannot be garnered in words alone.
After the war a portion of the camp was turned over to the US Navy for use as a hospital of which little remains. The hospital was reported to have 3,600 beds. Other areas of the camp were used as a prisoner of war camp for German and Italian soldiers. A wonderful history of the camp can be found at the Benton County Historical Societies online exhibit "They Called it Swamp Adair".
In 1957 portions of Camp Adair became Adair Air Force Station which housed the 26th Air Division SAGE Support Facility. In 1969 the Air Force Station was declared surplus property and disposed of. That property now forms the basis of the Adair Village community. Many of the buildings from the Air Force Station remain today and the large SAGE blockhouse dominates the village.
Camp Adair
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