http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8ks6qhd No online items Guide to the Orrell Anza Borrego Desert Collection MS 213 Finding aid prepared by Lauren Rasmussen Collection processed as part of grant project supported by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) with generous funding from The Andrew Mellon Foundation. San Diego History Center Document Collection 1649 El Prado, Suite 3 San Diego, CA, 92101 619-232-6203 June 21, 2012 Guide to the Orrell Anza Borrego MS 213 1 Desert Collection MS 213 Title: Orrell Anza Borrego Desert Collection Identifier/Call Number: MS 213 Contributing Institution: San Diego History Center Document Collection Language of Material: English Physical Description: 1.0 Linear feet(2 boxes) Date (inclusive): 1940-1993 Abstract: The collection consists of documents related to Fred Lewis Orrell’s research of military activity in the Anza-Borrego Desert area and Southern California during World War II. creator: Orrell, Fred Lewis Conditions Governing Access This collection is open for research. Conditions Governing Use The San Diego History Center (SDHC) holds the copyright to any unpublished materials. SDHC Library regulations do apply. Processing Information Collection processed by Lauren Rasmussen on June 21, 2012. Collection processed as part of grant project supported by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) with generous funding from The Andrew Mellon Foundation. Preferred Citation Orrell Anza Borrego Desert Collection, MS 213, San Diego History Center Document Collection, San Diego, CA. Biographical / Historical Notes Fred Lewis Orrell was an amateur historian who, under the auspices of the Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association, studied the presence of the United States military in the Borrego Desert area during World War II. He conducted his research in the early 1990s, hoping to “identify the units participating, describe their activities, relate these to the major artifacts left behind, and determine the manner in which they obtained access to the Park lands.” Orrell’s studies focused primarily on the Anza-Borrego Park area, especially the Desert Training Center at Camp Young, but encompassed other parts of Southern California as well, including San Diego. Run by General George S. Patton, the Desert Training Center (DTC) was the main training facility for combat troops during the 1942-1943 North African campaign. The DTC spanned from Pomona, California all the way to Yuma, Arizona. In 1943, after the end of the conflict in North Africa, the DTC’s name was changed to the California-Arizona Maneuver Area. The end result of Orrell’s work was a report on the subject for the educational programs of the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Scope and Content The collection consists of correspondence, research notes, and maps related to Orrell’s research of military activity in the Anza-Borrego Desert area and Southern California during World War II. Orrell corresponded with military officers, veterans, historians, archivists, and librarians to conduct his research. The research materials make up the bulk of the collection and include Orrell’s personal notes, unclassified military documents, book and journal excerpts, newspaper clippings, and maps. The materials correspond to either a particular military installation, military organization, or a relevant military subject. Arrangement The collection is arranged into four series: Series I: Orrell Project Correspondence and Research Series II: Military Camps and Bases Series III: Military Facilities Series IV: Military Groups and Subjects Items within each series are arranged by subject. Immediate Source of Acquisition Accession number 990623. Separated Materials Maps previously separated to the SDHC Map Collection: 1) USGS: Clark Lake 1959, rev. 1974, 7.5' Series 2) Geological Map, Central Mining Area, Calcite Mines, June 1964 Guide to the Orrell Anza Borrego MS 213 2 Desert Collection MS 213 3) U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Cleveland National Forest (south half), California, San Bernadino Meridian, 1965 Subjects and Indexing Terms Marine Corps Recruit Depot (San Diego, Calif.). Orrell, Fred Lewis Patton, George S. (George Smith), 1885-1945 United States -- Armed Forces. United States. Army. Corps of Engineers. United States. Army. Infantry Division, 104th. United States. Army. Western Defense Command. United States. Army. United States. Marine Corps. United States. Navy. United States. War Dept. Quartermaster Corps. Air bases Anza-Borrego Desert (Calif.) Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (Calif.) Borrego Maneuver Area (Calif.) Borrego Military Wash (Calif.) Borrego Springs (Calif.) California -- History California, Southern Camp Callan (Calif.) Camp Dunlap-Niland (Calif.) Camp Elliot (Calif.) Camp Lockett (Campo, Calif.) Camp Young (Calif.) Carrizo Impact Area (Calif.) Desert Training Center and California-Arizona Maneuver Area (Calif. and Ariz.) El Centro (Calif.) History -- Research Military history Naval history Ocotillo (Calif.) Salton Sea (Calif.) San Diego (Calif.) World War, 1939-1945 Series I: Orrell Project Correspondence and Research Box-folder 1:1 Correspondence 1985 August 6–1988 July 20 Box-folder 1:2 Correspondence, 1990 July 25–November 5 Box-folder 1:3 Correspondence, 1991 January 4–December 31 Box-folder 1:4 Correspondence, 1992 January 10–1993 January 17 Box-folder 1:5 World War II source materials and maps, 1969-1989 Box-folder 1:6 General research notes, 1985 May 15–1992 November 10 and undated Series II: Military Camps and Bases Box-folder 1:7 Camp Young Desert Training Center/California-Arizona Maneuver Area, 1973-1991 Guide to the Orrell Anza Borrego MS 213 3 Desert Collection MS 213 Series II:Military Camps and Bases Box-folder 1:8 Camp Callan, 1942–1984 and undated Box-folder 1:9 Camp Dunlap-Niland, 1942-1972 Box-folder 1:10 Camp Elliot, 1987 and undated Box-folder 1:11 Camp Lockett, 1991 and undated Box-folder 1:12 San Diego Marine Corps Base and Recruit Depot, 1962 Series III: Military Facilities Box-folder 1:13 Borrego Maneuver Area, 1942 March 10–1991 March 12 and undated Box-folder 1:14 Borrego Military Wash, 1940-1989 Box-folder 1:15 Borrego Hotel Outlying Landing Field, 1944 March 23 Box-folder 1:16 Carrizo Impact Area, 1953 March 27–1982 July 12 and undated Includes: District Public Works Office, Eleventh Naval District, San Diego, California, United States Naval Air Facility, El Centro, California, “Carrizo Impact Range Topographic Map” (in Oversize Collections D6) District Public Works Office, Eleventh Naval District, San Diego, California, United States Naval Air Facility, El Centro, California, “Carrizo Impact Area Topography Map” (in Oversize Collections D6) Box-folder 1:17 Carrizo Impact Area: newspaper articles, 1961 March 12–1967 June 16 Box-folder 2:1 Clark’s Dry Lake Outlying Landing Field, 1944 January 28–1992 April 11and undated Box-folder 2:2 El Centro Naval Air Facility, 1991 June 17 and undated Box-folder 2:3 Ocotillo Dry Lake Outlying Landing Field, 1944 December 3 Box-folder 2:4 Rake stations, undated Box-folder 2:5 Salton Sea Naval Auxiliary Air Station, 1944 and undated Box-folder 2:6 San Diego's military sites, 1991 Box-folder 2:7 Directory of California World War II Naval Facilities, undated Box-folder 2:8 Directory of 11th Naval District Air Stations, undated Series IV: Military Groups and Subjects Box-folder 2:9 United States Army IV Corps, 1945 Box-folder 2:10 United States Army 30th Field Artillery, 1992 Box-folder 2:11 United States Army 104th Infantry Division, undated Box-folder 2:12 United States Army Corps of Engineers, undated Box-folder 2:13 United States Army Military History Institute, 1947 and undated Box-folder 2:14 United States Army Quartermasters, 1990–1992 and undated Box-folder 2:15 United States Army Western Defense Command, 1942–1984 and undated Box-folder 2:16 United States military drones, 1955-1991 Guide to the Orrell Anza Borrego MS 213 4 Desert Collection MS 213.