Camp Fremont - Menlo Park, CA - World War I Sites on Waymarking.com

The site of the former camp that was built in 1917 is now a park in the downtown area of Menlo Park. The camp served thousands of troops during the war. Even though it closed in 1918, there are still some building still standing from Camp Fremont.


Plaque 1

"Soon after the US entered World War I in 1917, Menlo Park was transformed from a small, sleepy community into a huge camp to train troops for the war. For 16 months, Camp Fremont was a hub of activity occupying the majority of Stanford's lands and what is now Menlo Park. The war ended before any of the 43,000 troops trained here fought in Europe, and the camp disappeared as quickly as it had arrived

APRIL 1917 About 2,300 people live in the unincorporated community of Menlo Park when the U.S. enters the war. The War Department quickly establishes 32 camps around the nation to train a wartime army.

JULY 1917 Menlo Park is selected as a camp site because it is close to San Francisco and has terrain similar to that of the battlefields in France. The military leases almost 15 square miles from Stanford University and other landowners. The camp is named for Major General John C. Fremont, an early California explorer.

SEPTEMBER 1917 The Army's 319th Engineer Regiment, 8th Division begins construction of more than 1,000 buildings as troops begin to arrive. Many Stanford students and staff are enlisted.

JANUARY 1918 At its peak, the camp hosts 28,000 troops — ten times the pre-war population of Menlo Park. Soldiers practice marching, and build trenches and dugouts in the foothills, where they train on machine gun, rifle, and artillery ranges.


SEPTEMBER 1918 Despite the worldwide flu epidemic and quarantine, some soldiers are mobilized and sent by train to the East Coast — but the war would end before any . of the soldiers trained at Camp Fremont would see battle.

NOVEMBER 1918 A peace treaty to end the war is signed, and Camp Fremont is quickly closed. Troops depart, lands are returned to their owners, and buildings are sold at auction or disassembled."

Plaque 2

"The short-lived bustle of Camp Fremont left its mark on the community. Engineers from the Army's 8th Division created Menlo Park's first water, gas, and sewer lines, laying the groundwork for the city's incorporation in 1927. Although most of the camp buildings were sold at auction, several are still in use.

Fremont Park was established on November 11, 1938, the 20th war's armistice."

Type of Historic Site: Plaque Address of Building, Object, or Site: Santa Cruz and University Menlo Park, CA USA Website: [Web Link] Admission Prices: 0.00 (listed in local currency) One a Scale from 1-5, How Vital was the Site in WWI?: Posted Coordinates Location: At the signs

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