Camp Young, named after Lt. Gen. S.B.M. Young, the 1st Army Chief of Staff, was established at this site in the spring of 1942 as one of twelve camps built in the southwestern deserts to harden and train United States troops for service in World War II. Selected by Gen. George S. Patton Jr. as the administrative headquarters for the Desert Training Center, a simulated theater of operations that included portions of California, Arizona, and Nevada, it was part of a system that also included Camps Coxcomb, Granite, Iron Mountain, Ibis, Clipper, Pilot Knob, Laguna, Horn, Hyder, Bouse, and Rice. A total of 13 infantry divisions, 8 armored divisions, and numerous smaller units trained in this harsh environment. The training center operated for almost 2 years and closed early in 1944 when the last units were shipped overseas. During its brief operation, more than one million American soldiers were trained for combat.