OF ACCOUNT CHRONOLOGICAL A.S.F. UTAH DEPOT When the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific Railroads met at Promontory,Utah, in 1869, the United States of America were inseparably bound together by a steel band. The location of that historic meeting in the Great Salt Lake Valley was in itself the embryonic beginning of the Utah Army Service Forces Depot. The chain of historical events and circumstances all over the world gradually increased in momentum, until,with spontaneous combustion, the world seemed to blow up. In August, 1940, the military leaders, realizing the necessity for bases of supply, ended their search for an inland area 3 miles long, 1 mile wide; easily reached by a railroad; approximately equi-distant from shipping points along the Pacific Coast; and a survey was started August 26, 1940, almost 3 years ago to the day, The land finally chosen by this survey is approximately 2 miles north of the Ogden, Utah, business district, bounded on the east by the the original Oregon Short Line, on the south by 12th street, on the west by the road from the Marriott LDS Chapel, north to the Harrisville Brick Yards, and back to the 0.S.L. Tracks. By November, 1940, the preliminary work of road building, track laying, and installing a water system was underway. The actual excavation for the Warehouse began on December 10, 1940. Lt. Col. Elmer Thomas, was the Constructing Quartermaster. On September 15, 1941, the Depot,(it was then called the Utah General Depot )was activated. It. Col. William L. Mays, arrived to take command on July 28, 1941. He and his Executive Officer, It. Elmer Ward, organized the Depot, and Col. Mays, remain- ed in comsand until the arrival of Brigadier General Ralph Talbot, Jr., on March 16, 1942. the All offices of the Depot were Administration Building on May at first in Warehouse 23, 1942. 2-A, until the completion of Five of the six original sections were activated in September, 1941. They were: Quartermaster Supply Section, Chemical Supply Section, Signal Supply Section, Medical Supply Section, and Engineer Supply Section. The officers in charge were Lt. Col.Mays, Major T. F. McGovern, Major lynch, Captain James Corkery, and Lt. Marcus Freeman, resIn June, 1942, the Ordnance Motor Transport Supply Section was activated, pectively. as a separate unit, as the Officer - Then, essary (heretofor it had been part of QMSS,) Mathes, with Captain Lloyd in Charge. concurrently, to the maintenance as the need arose, of the larger came the intra-depot supply sections which supply were sections, shipping tu necall parts of the country. Those that were started at the very beginning were the civilian Personnel Division, the Administration Division, Post Engineers, and the Depot QuHeadThe Medical Dispensary was started in the present Guard artermaster Section. Pree on 1, Captain Bidwell, in March, 1942. (The Infirmary was completed, December 1942. itr in ry ve the of ng ti la re l ca gi lo no ro ch Space and time won't permit a complete d an s nt me rt pa De t. po De e th of th ow gr the to t en in rt pe s il cate and interesting deta cde ve ha gs in ld ui -b -— ng gi an ch y ll ua in nt co e ar rs ce fi of -personnel have come and gone on s ow fl rk wo l ia nt se es the t bu -— in ra ng ri sp a r te idedly sprung up like mushrooms, af like a mighty river. -3-