Bitter Springs
The Evolution of Bitter Springs - Fort IrwinHistorical Review By
Neil C. Morrison
Museum Director
NTC & 11TH ACR Museum
First Inhabitants
This region is rich with anthropological history dating back, according to ...First Visitors
The first recorded contact with the local Native Americans was through ...First Military Presence
Brevet Captain John C. Fremont of the Corps of Topographical Engineers ...Mormon Battalion
The Mormon Battalion left Council Bluffs, Iowa to fight in the Mexican War. ...Camel Expedition
The Secretary of War, Jefferson Davis, wanted to test the use of camels as ...1st. Dragoons Co. K
In the spring of 1860, Major James H. Carleton led a military campaign ...Gold - Silver in Them Thar' Hills!
The 1848 California “Gold Rush” began at Sutter's Mill (now Sutter's Fort), ...Borax at Death Valley
A booming economy flourished as Borax was discovered in and around Death Valley and ...First Water
Water is always an issue of concern in any desert. Bitter Springs could not ...Mojave Anti-Aircraft Range
In 1940 President Franklin Delano Roosevelt established the ...Rocket Testing at Gold Stone
The U.S. lagged far behind the enemy, Germany, in weapons technology at ...Armored Combat Testing Area
Camp Irwin reopened its gates in 1951 as the Armored Combat Training ...Renamed Fort Irwin
Camp Irwin was designated a permanent installation on 1 August 1961 and ...