Photograph as originally submitted to this page in the Historical Marker Database www.HMdb.org. Click on photo to resize in browser. Scroll down to see metadata.

Photographer: Cosmos Mariner
Taken: June 27, 2018
Caption: War Comes to Adams County (interpretive panel inside Rocky Mountain Arsenal Visitor Center)
Additional Description: World War II was unlike any previous war, with a massive mobilization of new aerial weaponry including chemical munitions. Although President Roosevelt decreed at the start of the war that, "under no circumstances [would the U.S.] resort to the use of such weapons unless they are first used by our enemies," the nation needed to stockpile chemical weapons to counter the threat posed by the Axis powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan).

Uncle Sam Wants Adams County
Following the December 7, 1941, Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States government resolved to build a chemical weapons production facility west of the Mississippi River. It selected 30 square miles in Adams County, Colorado, northeast of downtown Denver, for the new facility — land that at that time belonged to homestead families.

Leaving the Land
On May 22, 1942, the U.S. Army announced construction of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal. The Adams County site was selected because it was far from coastlines and less likely to be threatened by enemy aircraft; close to major railroads; had ample water and power supplies; and offered access to a large workforce.

Rocky Mountain Arsenal
Residents were ordered to vacate their property with as little as 1 month's notice. They had no time to harvest their crops, and only a few were fortunate enough to be able to sell their cattle and farm equipment and buy homes in Denver. Others lived with extended family members until they received compensation from the U.S. Army many months later.

Moving On
Although the sudden loss of their homes, farms, and way of life was heartbreaking, when the call came to vacate their properties, the homesteaders all complied. Some viewed it as their patriotic duty, while others believed that a different site should have been selected. All the homesteaders made great personal and financial sacrifices to support the nation's defense.

The Army Era Begins
Homes and farms were quickly demolished or moved, but the U.S. Army left a handful of buildings standing, such as the Egli homestead, which served as officers' quarters for several years.
Submitted: June 27, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Database Locator Identification Number: p432704
File Size: 5.197 Megabytes

To see the metadata that may be embedded in this photo, sign in and then return to this page.