Guide to the Orrell Anza Borrego Desert Collection
MS 213
Finding aid prepared by Lauren Rasmussen
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.
San Diego History Center Document Collection
1649 El Prado, Suite 3
San Diego, CA, 92101
619-232-6203
June 21, 2012
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The San Diego History Center (SDHC) holds the copyright to any unpublished materials.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
Series I:
Orrell Project Correspondence and Research
Box-folder 1:1
Correspondence
1985 August 6–1988 July 20
Box-folder 1:2
Correspondence,
1990 July 25–November 5
Box-folder 1:3
Correspondence,
1991 January 4–December 31
Box-folder 1:4
Correspondence,
1992 January 10–1993 January 17
Box-folder 1:5
World War II source materials and maps,
1969-1989
Box-folder 1:6
General research notes,
1985 May 15–1992 November 10 and undated
Series II:
Military Camps and Bases
Box-folder 1:7
Camp Young Desert Training Center/California-Arizona Maneuver Area,
1973-1991
Box-folder 1:8
Camp Callan,
1942–1984 and undated
Box-folder 1:9
Camp Dunlap-Niland,
1942-1972
Box-folder 1:10
Camp Elliot,
1987 and undated
Box-folder 1:11
Camp Lockett,
1991 and undated
Box-folder 1:12
San Diego Marine Corps Base and Recruit Depot,
1962
Series III:
Military Facilities
Box-folder 1:13
Borrego Maneuver Area,
1942 March 10–1991 March 12 and undated
Box-folder 1:14
Borrego Military Wash,
1940-1989
Box-folder 1:15
Borrego Hotel Outlying Landing Field,
1944 March 23
Box-folder 1:16
Carrizo Impact Area,
1953 March 27–1982 July 12 and undated
Includes:
District Public Works Office, Eleventh Naval District, San Diego, California, United States Naval Air Facility, El Centro,
California, “Carrizo Impact Range Topographic Map” (in Oversize Collections D6)
District Public Works Office, Eleventh Naval District, San Diego, California, United States Naval Air Facility, El Centro,
California, “Carrizo Impact Area Topography Map” (in Oversize Collections D6)
Box-folder 1:17
Carrizo Impact Area: newspaper articles,
1961 March 12–1967 June 16
Box-folder 2:1
Clark’s Dry Lake Outlying Landing Field,
1944 January 28–1992 April 11and undated
Box-folder 2:2
El Centro Naval Air Facility,
1991 June 17 and undated
Box-folder 2:3
Ocotillo Dry Lake Outlying Landing Field,
1944 December 3
Box-folder 2:5
Salton Sea Naval Auxiliary Air Station,
1944 and undated
Box-folder 2:6
San Diego's military sites,
1991
Box-folder 2:7
Directory of California World War II Naval Facilities,
undated
Box-folder 2:8
Directory of 11th Naval District Air Stations,
undated
Series IV:
Military Groups and Subjects
Box-folder 2:9
United States Army IV Corps,
1945
Box-folder 2:10
United States Army 30th Field Artillery,
1992
Box-folder 2:11
United States Army 104th Infantry Division,
undated
Box-folder 2:12
United States Army Corps of Engineers,
undated
Box-folder 2:13
United States Army Military History Institute,
1947 and undated
Box-folder 2:14
United States Army Quartermasters,
1990–1992 and undated
Box-folder 2:15
United States Army Western Defense Command,
1942–1984 and undated
Box-folder 2:16
United States military drones,
1955-1991
