Camps Hyder and Horn were established ten miles north of Dateland in the fall of 1943 as two of fifteen desert camps built to harden and train United States troops for service in World War II. The Desert Training Center was a simulated theater of operations that included portions of California, Arizona, and Nevada. Its camps were Bouse, Clipper, Coxcomb, Desert Center, Essex, Goffs, Granite, Horn, Hyder, Ibis, Iron Mountain, Laguna, Pilot Knob, Rice, and Young, along with Rice Army Airfield. A total of thirteen infantry and seven armored divisions, plus numerous smaller units, trained in this harsh environment. The training center operated for two years and closed early in 1944 when the last units were shipped overseas. During this brief period, over a million American soldiers were trained for combat. Units stationed at Hyder and Horn included the 77th, 81st, and 104th Infantry Divisions.