Prairie, Mississippi
| Prairie, Mississippi | |
|---|---|
| Unincorporated community | |
|
Abandoned gas station in Prairie | |
  Prairie, Mississippi  Prairie, Mississippi | |
| Coordinates: 33°47′48″N 88°40′03″W / 33.79667°N 88.66750°WCoordinates: 33°47′48″N 88°40′03″W / 33.79667°N 88.66750°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Mississippi |
| County | Monroe |
| Elevation | 295 ft (90 m) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| GNIS feature ID | 676296[1] |
Prairie is an unincorporated community in Monroe County, Mississippi, United States.[1]
Prairie is located west of Aberdeen on Mississippi Highway 382. A variant name is "Prairie Station".[1]
Gulf Ordnance Plant
From 1942 to 1945, Prairie was the site of the Gulf Ordnance Plant, one of the largest ammunition manufacturing plants of World War II. Up to 10,000 workers—mostly women—were employed at the plant, which manufactured 20, 40, 57, and 67 millimeter shells, rocket launchers, 100-pound bombs and naval tracer ammunition.
It has been estimated that the Gulf Ordnance Plant supplied nearly a quarter of the munitions used by the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II.
The plant was abandoned following the war. Mississippi State University runs an experimental cattle ranch on part of the old plant, while the rest lies in ruins.[2]
References
- 1 2 3 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Prairie
- ↑ Woodrick, Jim (June 6, 2012). "The Gulf Ordnance Plant". Andspeakinofwhich.
Municipalities and communities of Monroe County, Mississippi, United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| Village | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This town also has portions in adjacent county or counties | |