Camp Swift

History

The Army signed a $25 million contract in January 1942 to build a training camp on 56,000 acres north of Bastrop, Texas. The contract stipulated the project was to be completed in 108 working days. About 2700 buildings were built during World War II, but none of those remain on the site today. At the end of the war, they were sold or donated, and relocated. The gymnasium was relocated to Whitney, Texas. It is still in use today by the school district. During World War II, German prisoners of war began arriving and at peak numbered 10,000. At the same time, the camp held 90,000 GIs, making it "one of the largest army training and trans-shipment camps in Texas" according to Krammer. In December 1942, Sgt Walter Springs was gunned down by a military police officer following a dispute as Springs was reporting to Camp Swift. Springs was shot in the back, but the case remains largely unsolved to this day. A memorial scholarship in his honor has been active at his alma mater, Regis University, for most of the period since 1952 and has the backing of former NBA All Star Chauncey Billups. The 10th Mountain Division trained at Camp Swift in 1944. The 2nd Infantry Division trained there mid-1945 to early 1946. The camp also trained nurses under battlefield conditions. The camp trained some 300,000 soldiers before the war ended. After World War II, most of the land was returned to its former owners. The U.S. government retained 11,700 acres as a military reservation and a smaller parcel for FCI Bastrop. The Texas Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, the auxiliary of the Air Force, has held its encampment, a one-week, high-intensity simulated military training program for cadet (leaders in training) members in Camp Swift since 2011.

Geography

Camp Swift is located north of the center of Bastrop County. It is about east of Austin and north of Bastrop. Texas State Highway 95 forms the western edge of the community, connecting Bastrop to the south with Elgin to the north. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which , or 0.65%, is covered by water.

Race & ethnicity