Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1917-09-20
CAMP DODGE A
BIG CONCERN
Assembling of Great Army Means
Much to City of Des Moines And
The State of Iowa Generally

Des Moines, Iowa, Sept. 10, 1917.
Just suppose that a stranger were
to come into your county, go out into
the country eleven miles from the
county seat, drive stake in the CEN
ter of a 4,000-acre farm and declare
that within three months he proposed
to erect buildings enough to house
$4,000 people what would you think
of it? That's what happened to the
farming community occupying the
most fertile tract in the world, be-
tween Beaver creek and the Des
Moines river, eleven miles northwest
of Des Moines. When the matter
was first suggested it seemed too
for accomplishment.
People did not see how it was pos
sible to drop into the center of a
corn field, within three months, a
city the size of Davenport, equipp-
ed with. paved streets, a water sys-
TEN, sewerage, electric lighting and
all of the perquisites of a finished
municipality. But that is just what
has happened and Camp Dodge with
it's great frame structures equipped
with all modern conveniences, is now
ibNtlNliiS lllC illCii Nhl1h al " SOu-
stitute the population of this mush-
room city. Those accustomed to
gaze upon the fertile fields of the
Beaver valley, admire its vast stretch
es of woodlands, farmsteads and
meadows can hardly realize that
within so short time such a won
derful change has been wrought.
The farmers in that locality. like
the farmers elsewhere in this goodly
commonwealth, were striving to do
their bit in providing food that
should sustain the armies engaged
in that struggle across the sea. They
had planted every nook and corner
to something but ere the time of har-
vest arrived 1900 buildings occupied
the land and the tread of a mighty
army, with flags flying, the air
pierced with the flare of trumpets,
and the stern command of hundreds
of officers made the transforma-
tion seem like a dream.
Some Cantonment Figures
The 18th Army Cantonment &C.
cupies 1900 acres of ground. OF
this amount the United States gov
erment owns 500 acres; the state of
Iowa owns $50 and there are rented
from SO different land owners, g.
$40. This season the farmers re-
ceive S9.46 per acre rent and what
ever price may be agreed upon for
the destruction of the growing crops.
Next season the rental will be SILL
3S per acre. The rent is paid
monthly and amounts to S33,456
per year. The land stretches from
Beaver creek to the Des Moines ri
Yer and beyond-a distance from
east to west of 3.75 miles and from
north to south distance of $50
miles. This makes a distance of
at the southeast corner to the ex-
IRENE limit at the northwest corner
at the town of Herrold. The land
is valued at 100000
In the beginning of the work all
streets and alleys were laid out. a
sewerage system was planned, and
water mains located The result
is that there are 10 miles paved
streets and 10 miles of graveled
public highways. The sewer pro-
per is three miles long, made of
S0-inch sewer pipe and throughout
the grounds are 35 miles of sewers
and laterals. There are 81 miles
of water mains and laterals and a
million gallon cement reservoir on
the top of a hill overlooking the
buildings. The water is supplied
from a we'll so feet in diameter in
a sandy formation on the banks
of the Des Moines river. Three
rotary pumps capable of throwing
a million and half gallons of water
a day are run by electric motors.
Three fire companies are on duty
at different points on the ground
and all fire equipment is propelled
by electric motors. 1t required 2S
ditching machine to construct the
sewers, make bitches tor water
mains and the like. IN c,me places
the sewer was placed q. a depth of
"a feet.
Many Buildings Required
There are 1878 buildings for the
housing of the soldiers and for gen.
eral purposes. These are all built
after a uniform pattern and present
a most fascinating appearance.
Each building will afford quarters
for $50 men and are equipped with
shower baths, water closets and all
modern conveniences. In addition
to the barracks are AZ hospital
buildings. The Y. M. c. A. will
have a number of buildings and
there will be Libraries, canteens and
the like which will bring the num-
Der of buildings up to around 100.
In addition to the quarters for the
men comes the buildings for the re-
mount, 42S in number, The exact
of troops to be cared for
will be ,6S3 and the remount sta
tion will add several thousand more.
Upon the military tract there will
be $4,000 horses and mules for ar
tillery service and other purposes.
AT the remount there will be room
for 10000 animals. Horses and
mules will be concentrated here for
army use and with this as distrib-
uting point shipment will be made
to military posts all over the country
and to the battlefields in France.
1t Will Take Some Food
IL is estimated that it will require
100 cars of food daily to supply the
men. Add to this the grain and for
age that will lie required for the
horses and mules and some idea can
be had of the immensely of the I'M
dertaking. All purchases of food
will be made in bulk through the
quartermaster's department and
doubtless it will devolve upon the
large commission houses to furnish
the supply required. These firms
will have to scour the country for
foodstuffs. This additional effort in
with their regular trade
will draw heavily upon the food pro-
ducts of the central west.
Much Money and Many WOrkmen
When the vast undertaking is COM
pleted it will have cost the govern
ment about five million dollars.
Work began about July list and since
that time a daily average of $500
men has been employed. OF this