The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1930-10-30
U BUILDINGS
TAKEN TAX, NJ. BY STATE
Acceptance of Structures An
nOunced Recently by
ze-e General Walsh
GIVE HOUSE WARMING
Officers and Wives Were En-
tertained Sunday at
Little Falls
GIVE HOUSE WARMING

DUlllQlIlSS nave DccIl dSSCpISo AAohA
contractors after construction on
the new National Guard camp site
near Little Falls, it was announc-
ed today by Adjutant General E.
A. Walsh.
The other building under con-
struction, an incinerator, will be
completed and passed on during
the next week. It is the first portion
of the construction of the camp
which when finally completed I'M
der plans of the state and federal
government will be one OF the
largest military fields in the
United States.
Sunday, bridge and regimental
officers with members of their
staffs and their wives attended a
preliminary "house warming" at
the camp when plans were laid for
the 1881 training peroid. The camp
as it is constructed to date will
provide facilities for training one
regiment of 1000 men peace time
strength at one time. The camps
will be of two weeks duration as
in the past.
Buildings which have been con-
structed to date are: fifteen COM
pany mess halls, four battalioni
bath houses, one regimental ware
house, one officers mess, two Of
ficers bath houses, one motor
transport building, one magazine,
one camp headquarters building,
one pump house and water tower
The cost of these buildings aggre-
gate 100000 which was paid by
the federal government
An unusual angle in connection
with the states portion is that no
direct appropriation has ever been
provided by the state legislature.
However the 1927 session author
lied use of unexpended balances
of the state military department
and during the past four years the
adjutant generals office has man.
aged to show total unexpended
balances of $4,000. This sum was
used to acquire outright 1000 acres
of land while leases have been TAX
en- on 1000 acres on which the cost
is borne partly by the federal gov
eminent.
Eventually, however, it is plann-
ed that the camp will cover $4,000
acres, providing accommodations
for a full division of men in peace
time, which would be $500 men.
The large area for the fields is
necessary to provide ranges for
heavy artillery fire. When the
camp is able to provide these facil-
tiles, artillery groups from many
other states in the 7th Corps Area
will train in Minnesota, it is antici-
pated.
In years past artillery units from
Minnesota have had to train at
Camp Mccoy, Sparta, Wis, be-
cause of the limited area provided
by the training field at Lake City.
This field comprised only 20
acres and was insufficient to
accommodate light training by in
fantry units, General Walsh said.
AS a result it has been necessary
for infantry groups to use highway
right of ways and fields Of accom-
modating farmers for tractial ex-
ercises.
Of the 21O acres, Lake City
decided IS acres to the state with
out cost. What the disposition of
the training field will be is a ques-
ton which will remain for deter
mination by the legislature.
Some southern Minnesota resi-
dents have advocated that the
field be converted into a park be-
cause Of it's beauty, with high
bluffs to the rear and with Lake
Pepin to the front. The field is
bisected by a state highway.
One of the largest items of con-
struction in connection with the
new field at Little Falls is a bridge
crossing the Mississippi which
borders one side of the camp and
which will afford both rail and
highway connection to the field. A
total of $4,000 was spent for this
combined rail and highway bridge
which is 40 feet long, the cost be-
ing shared by the state highway
department and the Northern Pa
cific has constructed a spur to the
field and a large share of freight
and troop movement are expected
to be over this line. The highway
bridge, however, affords paved
road connections to the Twin
Cities. Brainerd, St. Cloud and