Badger Army Ammunition Plant
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Badger Army Ammunition Plant | |
|---|---|
| Sauk Prairie, Wisconsin | |
 General view of Badger Army Ammunition Plant |
|
| Built | 1942 |
| In use | World War II, Korea, Vietnam |
| Controlled by | Department of the Army |
The Badger Army Ammunition Plant (BAAAP or Badger) or Badger Ordnance Works (B.O.W.) is an excess, non-BRAC, US Army facility located in Sauk Prairie, Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States. Badger consists of 7,354 acres (30 km²) of land. Badger manufactured nitrocellulose based propellants for World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Badger is currently the site of demolition and remediation projects being conducted in preparation for property transfer. This ammunition plant was the largest in the world when it was built during World War II.[1]
Contents |
[edit] The Construction of Badger[2]
The site of the Badger Army Ammunition Plant was announced in 1941 and by 1 March 1942 the farmers had left their farms. Originally, 10,500 acres (42 km²) of land were acquired for the construction of Badger. Within the first 10 months of construction the first production area went into operation. [3]
The Badger Army Ammunition Plant employed over 23,000 men and women over the 60 years Badger produced ammunition. Badger produced ammunition for World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
On 29 October 1941, US Representative William H. Stevenson announced the construction of a $65,000,000 powder and acid works to be built by Hercules Powder Company.
On 19 November 1941, despite protests from those living on the Sauk Prairie, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established Badger and authorized the $65,000,000 necessary to build the plant. The plans originally called for production lines to make smokeless powder, diphenylamine, and sulfuric acid. In the end, Badger would include production lines to make smokeless powder, acid, sulfuric acid, rocket propellant, and Ball Powder.
Work on Badger began in March of 1942. Before, the works were built, a 7,500 foot fence was erected around approximately 7,500 acres (30 km²) of the 10,500 acres (42 km²) acquired by the US Army. When the plant was finished it was complete with smokeless powder and rocket grain production facilities as well as housing for 12,000 construction workers and their families for six months, housing for 4,000-8,000 production workers and their families for the length of World War II, a school, a recreation center, a child care facility, a hospital, cafeterias, and transportation system. By December 1942, 24 miles of standard gauge railroad was completed.
[edit] Badger During World War II[4]
During World War II, Badger was managed by Hercules Powder Company. Badger produced rocket propellant, smokeless powder, and E.C. powder. Smokeless Powder was patented a decade before World War II by DuPont and Hercules Powder Company had rights to make it at Badger. E.C. Powder was used in hand grenades, tear gas canisters, and blank cartridges. Badger also produced Acid and Oleum which is necessary for the production of these forms of ammunition. The Acid and Oleum produced at Badger were used onsite as well as shipped off-site to other army ammunition plants in the area.
On 10 May 1943, the first trainload of finished product left Badger; 60,000 pounds of .30 caliber smokeless powder was sent to the Twin Cities Ordnance Plant in Minnesota where it was turned into M-1 rifle cartridges.
After World War II, Badger was placed on stand-by and subsequently placed into excess federal property status. The Hercules Powder Company began the process of demolishing and burning contaminated buildings, scrapping equipment, and donating office furniture and supplies to area schools. This led to some difficulties when Badger was reactivated for the Korean War.
| Periods of Operation[5] | ||
| Production Area | Start Date | End Date |
| Acid | January 1943 | August 1945 |
| Oleum | January 1943 | August 1945 |
| Smokeless Powder | March 1943 | July 1945 |
| Rocket Propellant | March 1945 | September 1948 |
| E.C. Powder | July 1943 | October 1945 |
| Production[6] | ||
| Ammunition Type | Pounds | |
| Smokeless Powder | 257,968,900 | |
| Rocket Grain | 13,394,700 | |
[edit] Badger During the Korean War[7]
In 1951, before the Korean War began, Olin Industries was awarded the contract to manage Badger;Olin Industries continued to operate Badger until 2004. Olin Industries had to get Badger into tip top running shape before production could begin. This included replacing machinery, office furniture and supplies, and building production areas such as the Ball Powder Plant. At this time, Olin Industries was the only manufacturer of Ball Powder in the entire United States. Ball Powder was introduced by Western Cartridge, a subsidiary of Olin Industries, in 1933; however, Ball Powder was not accepted by the US Army until 1944.
Ball Powder is a spherical grain shaped gun powder which is easy to store and transport in any climate; ideal for modern infantry. Ball Powder is fine grained, round, and shiny. It is black because it is coated in graphite powder. The amount of time it took to build the Ball Powder Plant at Badger was too long to enable any of the Ball Powder from Badger to be used in the Korean War. Therefore, it was put into storage for the next war; the stored Ball Powder was used during the Vietnam War.
| Periods of Operation[8] | ||
| Production Area | Start Date | End Date |
| Acid | July 1951 | November 1957 |
| Oleum | October 1952 | October 1956 |
| Smokeless Powder | October 1951 | December 1957 |
| Rocket Propellant | November 1951 | October 1954 |
| Rocket Propellant (2nd Run) | March 1955 | September 1955 |
| Ball Powder | September 1955 | September 1956 |
| Production[9] | ||
| Ammunition Type | Pounds | |
| Ball Powder | 5,758,600 | |
| Smokeless Powder | 235,832,900 | |
| Rocket Mortar | 35,845,200 | |
| Mortar | 17,400 | |
[edit] Badger During the "Cold War"[10]
During the "Cold War" years between the Korean War and the Vietnam War Badger was held in stand-by status. It was believed that Badger would not be reactivated unless a war was imminent because the threat of a nuclear strike existed. Badger was important to the United States because it is located far from large cities, has a water source, reactivation costs would be small, and it had the greatest ammunition manufacturing capabilities in the United States; Badger had the capability of producing most of the ammunition necessary for a land war. These qualities of Badger also made it a very likely target of a nuclear attack if it were to be reactivated. Therefore, Olin Industries maintained Badger on stand-by status until the United States announced its intent to send troops to Vietnam.
[edit] Badger During the Vietnam War
Before the Vietnam War began, the army was testing the new M-16 rifle which used Ball Powder ammunition. DuPont and Olin Industries each developed Ball Powder that was compatible with the M-16 rifles used in the Vietnam War and were used interchangeably. Hercules Powder Company also developed a Ball Powder for the rifles; however, it was not selected by the rifle manufacturers or US Army.
Badger was not the only location where Olin Industries was able to make Ball Powder; the company had another, smaller, plant in East Alton, Illinois. It was believed that the East Alton plant would produce the Ball Powder necessary for the Vietnam War. However, when workers at the East Alton plant went on strike, the entire Vietnam operation was put into jeopardy. Therefore, Badger was reactivated on 3 January 1966 and Olin Industries prepared to make what would be millions of pounds of ammunition.
By September 1966, Badger was producing and shipping Oleum to the Joliet Army Ammunition Plant near Chicago, Illinois.
| Periods of Operation[11] | ||
| Production Area | Start Date | End Date |
| Acid | August 1966 | June 1975 |
| Oleum | September 1966 | June 1975 |
| Smokeless Powder | August 1967 | August 1973 |
| Rocket Propellant | June 1967 | June 1975 |
| Ball Powder | May 1966 | May 1975 |
| Production[12] | ||
| Ammunition Type | Pounds | |
| Ball Powder | 99,985,600 | |
| Smokeless Powder | 302,151,100 | |
| 5" Navy Gun | 12,869,500 | |
| MK-43 Rocket Mortar | 71,718,600 | |
[edit] Post War Badger
Olin Industries continued to maintain Badger on stand-by status after the Vietnam War. In 1997, the US Army declared Badger to be excess to its needs. Until 2004, Olin Industries lead the clean-up of Badger. In 2004, SpecPro, Inc., an 8(a) Certified Alaska Native Corporation (ANC) and subsidiary of the Bristol Bay Native Corporation, was awarded to the contract to operate Badger. Since that time, SpecPro, Inc. has led all maintenance, demolition, and remediation activities at Badger.[13]
[edit] The Future of Badger
Badger will be split among six landowners[14][15]:
- United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) Dairy Forage
The USDA Dairy Forage will continue grazing cattle and growing crops on the land it receives. The estimated area to be received is approximately 2,233 acres (9 km²).
The BIA will manage land for the Ho-Chunk Nation to graze bison and hold ceremonies on the land it receives. The estimated area to be received is approximately 1,553 acres (6 km²).
The NPS will manage land for the WDNR. The land will be used to expand Devil's Lake State Park and possibly make a hiking corridor connecting Devil's Lake State Park with the Wisconsin River. The estimated area to be received is approximately 3,408 acres (14 km²).
The Town of Sumpter will receive the three historic cemeteries located on Badger. These cemeteries were acquired and maintained by the US Army during the initial land acquisition in 1942. The three cemeteries are the Pioneer, Thoelke, and Miller cemeteries. The estimated area to be received is approximately 3.6 acres.
- Bluffview Sanitary District
The Bluffview Sanitary District will receive land relating to the sewage and water treatment system it currently shares with Badger. Bluffview, located across US 12 from Badger, is former Badger employee housing which is now private residences. The estimated area to be received is approximately 165 acres (0.7 km²).
The WI DOT will receive land along the existing State Highway 78. The WI DOT plans to expand and straighten State Highway 78 in 2009. The estimated area to be received is approximately 58.3 acres.
[edit] Vegetation
This area originally consisted of oak savanna and prairie habitat. After settlers populated the area, agriculture became predominant and few prairie and oak savanna remnants remained. Currently, the open spaces at Badger consist of some prairie remnants which are maintained each year through the use of prescribed fire and clearing.
[edit] Geology
Badger is located on the terminal moraine of the outwash plain of a glacier which stopped in this area during the Wisconsin Glaciation approximately 12,000 years ago. The bedrock in this area consists of quartzite, sandstone, shale, and limestone. Groundwater flow is influenced by the Baraboo Hills to the north and the Wisconsin River to the east.
[edit] Geography[16][17]
Badger consists of 7,354 acres (30 km²) of land in Sauk County. Badger is bounded by Devil's Lake State Park and the Baraboo Hills to the north, the Town of Merrimac and the Wisconsin River to the East, the Town of Prairie Du Sac to the south, and the Town of Sumpter and the Bluffview community to the West.
[edit] References
All publications cited in this Wikipedia article may be found in the Badger Repositories. The Badger Repositories are located at the Sauk City Public Library, Prairie du Sac Public Library, and at the Badger Army Ammunition Plant. The Badger Repositories include all available public information; including publications (i.e. Environews), RAB meeting minutes, groundwater monitoring data, and completed remediation projects or work plans.
Cited References
- ^ GSA - Badger Site Information
- ^ [Goc, Michael J. Powder, People, and Place; Badger Ordnance Works and the Sauk Prairie, New Past Press, Inc. Friendship, WI, 2002]
- ^ Badger History Group
- ^ [Goc, Michael J. Powder, People, and Place; Badger Ordnance Works and the Sauk Prairie, New Past Press, Inc. Friendship, WI, 2002]
- ^ [Goc, Michael J. Powder, People, and Place; Badger Ordnance Works and the Sauk Prairie, New Past Press, Inc. Friendship, WI, 2002]
- ^ [Goc, Michael J. Powder, People, and Place; Badger Ordnance Works and the Sauk Prairie, New Past Press, Inc. Friendship, WI, 2002]
- ^ [Goc, Michael J. Powder, People, and Place; Badger Ordnance Works and the Sauk Prairie, New Past Press, Inc. Friendship, WI, 2002]
- ^ [Goc, Michael J. Powder, People, and Place; Badger Ordnance Works and the Sauk Prairie, New Past Press, Inc. Friendship, WI, 2002]
- ^ [Goc, Michael J. Powder, People, and Place; Badger Ordnance Works and the Sauk Prairie, New Past Press, Inc. Friendship, WI, 2002]
- ^ [Goc, Michael J. Powder, People, and Place; Badger Ordnance Works and the Sauk Prairie, New Past Press, Inc. Friendship, WI, 2002]
- ^ [Goc, Michael J. Powder, People, and Place; Badger Ordnance Works and the Sauk Prairie, New Past Press, Inc. Friendship, WI, 2002]
- ^ [Goc, Michael J. Powder, People, and Place; Badger Ordnance Works and the Sauk Prairie, New Past Press, Inc. Friendship, WI, 2002]
- ^ SpecPro, Inc.
- ^ Badger GIS Website
- ^ Badger Installation Action Plan (IAP)
- ^ Badger GIS Website
- ^ Badger Installation Action Plan (IAP)
[edit] External links
Site Information
- Badger GIS Website This site contains information from the Badger GIS system; including groundwater data, parcels, vegetation, structures, roads, etc. It is updated weekly. (username=guest password=badger)
- Badger Reuse Plan
- GSA - Badger Site Information
- Badger Installation Action Plan (IAP)
- Survey number HAER WI-8 - Badger Army Ammunition Plant, Baraboo, Sauk County, WI
- SpecPro, Inc., provides current site management and US Army support
Community Groups
[edit] See also
Conflicts
Companies/Contractors
- Olin Corporation, previous contractor
- SpecPro, Inc., current contractor
- The Shaw Group, current contractor
- Grand Terre GIS, subcontractor maintaining GIS program
Materials
- Rocket Propellant
- Ammunition
- Smokeless powder
- Nitroglycerin
- Nitrocellulose
- Dinitrotoluene
- Propellant
Other AAPs Associated with Badger
Other Topics
- Badger Army Ammunition Plant is at coordinates Coordinates:
