Farragut State Park

Farragut State Park is a state park in northern Idaho. During World War II, it was the "Farragut Naval Training Station", a major training base of the U.S. Navy. The base was named after David Farragut, the first admiral in the U.S. Navy, the leading naval officer during the Civil War. The 4,000 acre (16 km²) park is located at the southern tip of the Lake Pend Oreille in the Coeur d'Alene Mountains, the northwest range of the Bitterroot Mountains. The park is east of Athol, and about thirty miles from the city of Coeur d'Alene.

History

Eleanor Roosevelt allegedly noticed the lake on a flight to Seattle. Knowing that President Roosevelt was seeking a location for a secure inland naval training center, she mentioned it to him and he made a secret tour of the area. Ground was broken in March 1942, and by September the base had a population of 55,000, making it the largest city in Idaho. Liberty trains to Spokane ran three times daily. At the time, Farragut was the second-largest naval training center in the world.

Over 293,000 sailors received basic training at Farragut during its 30 months of existence. The last recruit graduated in March 1945 and the facility was decommissioned in June 1946. It was also used as a POW camp; nearly 900 Germans worked as gardeners and maintenance men.

From 1946-49 it was the site of the Farragut College and Technical Institute, which did not re-open in late 1949 due to financial difficulties.

The park adjoins the deepwater Lake Pend Oreille, where the Navy maintains a submarine research center at Bayview, the Acoustic Research Detachment. [http://www.dt.navy.mil/about_us/division_sites/acoustic_research_detachment/acoustic_research_detachment.html] [http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/08357.htm photos of LSV-2 "Cutthroat"]

The land was transferred to the state of Idaho in 1963 and became a state park the following year.

According to those who work at the Camp Brig Museum, there was never any submarine testing while it was a training base.

couting history

The park hosted the 1965 National Girl Scout Senior Roundup, 12th World Scout Jamboree in 1967, and the 1969 and 1973 National Scout Jamboree of the Boy Scouts of America. The park serves as the winter training "Klondyke" site for the scout troops of the Inland Northwest Council.

ee also

*Scouting in Idaho

External links

* [http://parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/parks/farragut.aspx Idaho State Parks] - official site - Farragut
* [http://www.idahoptv.org/productions/idahoportrait/tour/oreilletour.html Idaho Public TV] - Farragut naval training base
* [http://www.dt.navy.mil/about_us/division_sites/acoustic_research_detachment/acoustic_research_detachment.html U.S. Navy] - Acoustic Research Detachment - Bayview, Idaho
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/bayview.htm Global Security.org] - U.S. Navy ARD - Bayview, Idaho
* [http://www.navy.mil/navydata/cno/n87/usw/issue_11/submarine_stealth.html U.S. Navy "Undersea Warfare" magazine] - submarine stealth in Idaho
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/08357.htm Nav Source.org] - photos of LSV-2 "Cutthroat" - Navy ARD - Bayview, ID
* [http://www.gosleepgo.com/node/278 Farragut State Park - Wreckreator Disc Golf Course] - from GoSleepGo

References

* "Idaho for the Curious", by Cort Conley, ©1982, ISBN 0-9603566-3-0, p.288-292