Conditions Governing Access
Conditions Governing Use
Processing Information
Preferred Citation
Biographical / Historical Notes
Scope and Content
Arrangement
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Separated Materials
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The San Diego History Center (SDHC) holds the copyright to any unpublished materials.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
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