The depots mission was to store and maintain a variety of military items, from blankets to ammunition. The umatilla chemical depot opened in 1941, to prepare for world war ii. Chemical weapons elimination fact sheets and publications cdc. By umatilla chemical depot and chemical agent disposal facility public affairs offices march 12, 2009. In 1962, the installations name was changed to the umatilla army depot, and it began receiving and storing chemical weapons, which continued to arrive until 1969. A stunning landscape of bunkers that once stored chemical weapons. The umatilla chemical depot and the umatilla chemical agent disposal facility are five miles west of the city, northeast of the intersection of i84 and i82. Over the years, the port of umatilla has been involved in economic development across the port district. Driving west on i84, after you have just passed the thousands of bunkers at the umatilla chemical depot, you start to wonder if some of those chemicals have leaked into the air causing you to. In 1940 the army created what was to become the 17,165 acre umatilla army chemical depot umcd in northeastern oregon.
Army installation in the united states that stored chemical weapons. Click download or read online button to umatilla depot activity disposal of chemical agents and munitions book pdf for free now. Umatilla generally experiences more leaks in the summer, when containers holding the. View a fire dept photo, logo, contact info, map, volunteer info, mission statement, fire equipment, firefighters and statistics.
Umatilla county was created on september 27, 1862, out of a portion of wasco county. Between 1962 and 1969, chemical weapons were received and stored at the depot. The centers for disease control and prevention provides independent oversight to the u. Umatilla chemical depot, oregon unt digital library. Umatilla chemical depot umcd is a 19,728acre military facility located in northeastern oregon, on the border of morrow and umatilla counties. It began to store chemical weapons in 1962, eventually accumulating approximately 12 percent of the nations stockpile of nerve and blister agents. Army acquired nearly 100,000 acres of land near hermiston, where workers built the umatilla ordnance depot. That all changed in 1962, during the cold war, when it became one of the worlds largest chemical weapons storage facilities. Umatilla chemical depot fire department in umatilla county or. The umatilla chemical depot in oregon has had yet another leak of a chemical mustard agent.
The organization shaping the future of the umatilla chemical depot has entered a crucial phase to place federal lands under local ownership and control. Umatilla chemical depot fire department cultural feature building in umatilla county. Route 395 also goes through the center of the city. Umatilla chemical weapons depot is the home to the largest stockpile of leaking chemical weapons in the world. There is no additional chemical demilitarization workload slated to go to umatilla chemical depot. The oregon umatilla chemical weapons depot umcd was established in 1941, with the mission of storing everything from blankets to ammo during wwii. A new life awaits for the umatilla chemical weapons depot. A previous version of this story attributed a statement about the. The chemical warfare agents vx and gb nerve agents and hd blister or mustard agent were stored as liquid in various types of munitions and containers, including rockets, bombs, projectiles, mines, bulk containers and aerial spray tanks. In 1996, the name was changed again, to umatilla chemical depot. Umatilla depot seeks world war ii depot workers, descendents for commemoration. Umatilla, florida the photographic history by rebecca.
Umatilla chemical weapons depot, umatilla roadtrippers. Hermiston, or 97838, usa, united states try the best online travel planner to plan your travel itinerary. The umatilla chemical depot, which armed and supplied soldiers through world war ii and wars in korea and vietnam, stored chemical weapons and then destroyed them, on thursday reached the end of its era. Umatilla chemical depots mission success tricity herald. Workers at the umatilla chemical depot yesterday found another mustard agent leak in one of its igloo storage units, the sixth such leak detected at the oregon facility in three months. Though the site is incredibly vast, it only contains some 12% of the us stockpile of such wmds. Umatilla chemical depot the umatilla chemical depot, umcd based in umatilla, oregon, was a u. Always update books hourly, if not looking, search in the book search column. Eight decades of realpolitik herman j cohens latest book. Umatilla chemical depot mustard gas leaks, the business of. It is related to the tooele chemical agent disposal facility.
The umatilla ordnance depot continued to store conventional munitions after the conclusion of world war ii. Umatilla chemical depot fire department hermiston, or. Oregon training center helps soldiers transition to infantry. The depot took on its chemical weapons storage mission in 1962. The east oregonian, in conjunction with the umatilla county historical society released a new hardcover pictorial history book entitled umatilla county memories. Already, for the first time in 70 years, whats now the umatilla chemical depot is not being used to store army munitions. Umatilla depot activity disposal of chemical agents and. Umatilla chemical depot hermiston, oregon atlas obscura.
The area was used to store chemical weapons between 1942 and 2012 with weapons destruction beginning in august 1996 at the depot which held, at that time, 45% of the total u. Jul 28, 2017 umatilla chemical depot was a storage facility responsible for storing military items and chemical weapons in the period spanning 19411994. The umatilla army ordnance depot stored and supplied munitions to the army until the early 1990s. Get ebooks umatilla depot activity disposal of chemical agents and munitions on pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi and audiobook for free. The umatilla chemical agent disposal facility umcdf, located near umatilla, oregon, usa, was designed to safely destroy the stockpile of chemical munitions and agent stored at the u. Umatilla chemical depot is located in the northern part of oregon, close to the umatilla human communities. Umatilla chemical depot hermiston, oregon local business. The united states, who, at the time 1988, were allies of iraq in their war with iran, turned a blind eye to the atrocity and said the images could. In 1962, the depot was used to store chemical weapons. As many as 900 current and former workers at the umatilla chemical.
Umatilla army depot reuse authority umadra for more information go to the columbia development authority website. There are more than 1 million books that have been enjoyed by people from all over the world. Download pdf umatilla depot activity disposal of chemical. It flows w past pendleton, then nw to the columbia river at the city of umatilla 1990 pop. The umatilla chemical depot in northeast oregon is nearing the end of its mission. The population has increased steadily with a 2016 census figure of 79,880 representing an increase of 5. The duplicative forest lexington, oregon atlas obscura. The army began trucking chemical weapons and mustard agents here. Umatilla chemical depot to mark 67 years since massive blast. The projected date for completion of its existing workload is 2nd quarter of 2011. Nov 09, 2016 in 1996, the name was changed again, to umatilla chemical depot. Umatilla article about umatilla by the free dictionary.
Umatilla indian reservation the umatilla indian reservation is an indian reservation in the pacific northwest of the united states. Umatilla county adopted a home rule charter in 1993, which gives the county more local discretion in its management. The umatilla chemical agent disposal facility umcdf was designed for the sole. As many as 7,000 workers moved to the area to construct and work at the depot. Oregon training center helps soldiers transition to. The umatilla chemical depot, umcd based in umatilla, oregon, was a u. Chemical weapons elimination fact sheets and publications. Umatilla chemical depot fire department is located in hermiston, or. You should need no reminder that it was saddam husseins regime that used a mustard agent against the kurds in iraq.
Record group 175 191763 overview of records locations table of contents 175. Umatilla chemical depot fire department is a cultural feature building in umatilla county. The population in 2010 was 6,906, but the citys population includes approximately 2,000 inmates incarcerated at two rivers correctional institution. Umatilla chemical depot to mark 67 years since massive blast hermiston, ore. The umatilla chemical depot bunkers are used as storage for wwii and cold war era chemical weapons such as mustard gas, sarin and other nerve agents. Mar 04, 2019 umatilla county commissioner bill elfering exits a bunker at the umatilla chemical weapons depot in umatilla county, ore. The umatilla project taps two of the rivers tributaries for irrigation. Umatilla is also home to the only two strip clubs in eastern oregon. Umatilla is an indian term meaning rippling water or water rippling over sand and has provided the name both for the county and its major river. The area was used to store chemical weapons between 1942 and 2012 with weapons destruction beginning in august 1996 at the depot which held, at that time, 45% of. How umatilla chemical weapons changed nw history crosscut.
The depot s mission was to store and maintain a variety of military items, from blankets to ammunition. The depot is about 40 miles south of kennewick between interstates 82 and. Umatilla, oregon the army safely stored approximately 12 percent of the nations original chemical weapons stockpile at the umatilla chemical depot, starting in 1962. The first census of the umatilla county in 1870 counted 2,916 inhabitants. The umatilla chemical depot began receiving and storing chemicals munitions between 1962 and 1969. Last of umatilla depots chemical weapons destroyed, now the. The umatilla army ordnance depot stored and supplied munitions to the. It makes our work day an hour shorter, which is pretty substantial in my book. The primary coordinates for umatilla chemical depot fire department places it. The umatilla chemical depot umcd was one of nine army. Workers at the umatilla ordnance depot, 1943 history of oregon. In 1941, the umatilla chemical depot opened as the united states prepared to go to war. After the umatilla chemical agent disposal facility was built, the chemical weapons on the post began to be disposed of by. Umatilla army depot, hermiston ticket price timings.
Umatilla depot activity disposal of chemical agents and munitions download umatilla depot activity disposal of chemical agents and munitions ebook pdf or read online books in pdf, epub, and mobi format. Umatilla, florida the photographic history by rebecca bryan dreisbach. Celebrating umatillas history with over 200 historical images that narrate this visual journey through the past. The primary coordinates for umatilla chemical depot fire department places it within the or 97838 zip code delivery area. Driving west on i84, after you have just passed the thousands of bunkers at the umatilla chemical depot, you start to wonder if some of those chemicals have leaked into the air. In 1968, the port of umatilla opened a recreational boat marina, now owned by the city of umatilla.
Oct 23, 2011 already, for the first time in 70 years, whats now the umatilla chemical depot is not being used to store army munitions. Discover umatilla chemical depot in hermiston, oregon. The facility was used to manage equipment during battles, from world war ii to the korean and vietnam wars, to the more recent desert storm mission. If you fancy seeing a spot that houses various chemical weapons and see a little piece of all the hard work that the us army puts in protecting the country, then this depot is a great place to start with. Us chemical weapon storage facilities in process of closure, 20 4. The umatilla chemical depot in northeast oregon is nearing the end of its mission,but it will take pause on march 21 to honor the victims of the deadliest incident at the base with a ceremony. Umatilla county commissioner bill elfering exits a bunker at the umatilla chemical weapons depot in umatilla county, ore.
Records of the chemical warfare service national archives. The depot took on its chemical weapons storage mission in 1962 and stored 12% of the nations stockpile. Army depot activity umatilla was one of the first world war ii ammunition supply depots constructed by the ordnance department, and the majority of its structures were built in 19411942. A new life awaits for the umatilla chemical weapons depot opb. Army chemical weapon storage area located in utah, 60 miles 100 km southwest of salt lake city.
Umatilla chemical depot to mark 67 years since massive. Umatilla, florida the photographic history by rebecca bryan. The umatilla chemical depot bunkers were used as storage for wwii and cold war era conventional ammunition of all types, as well chemical weapons such as containing gb and vx nerve agents and hd. Mar 17, 2018 the umatilla ordnance depot continued to store conventional munitions after the conclusion of world war ii. Umatilla chemical depot umcd united states nuclear forces. The base is among the most important military bases, judging by the chemical storage site, but also one of the less important ones if you look from a different point of view.
Living downwind from the umatilla chemical depot, many area residents can understand the panic that occurred during the recent missile. There is no further use for umatilla chemical depot. The chemical warfare agents vx and gb nerve agents and hd mustard blister agent were stored as liquid in various types of munitions and containers, including rockets, bombs, projectiles, mines, bulk containers, and aerial spray tanks. Umatilla is the scary true story of a small american town living next to the worlds largest stockpile of mustard and nerve gas bombs, rockets, and chemical weapons. In 1962, the army began to store chemical weapons at the depot. On november 14, 2008 the united states army issued a surplus determination for the umcd property. The weapons are stored for decades, without ever being officially used. It was established as an army ordnance depot in 1941. For 49 years the army has stored dangerous chemical weapons there. Umatilla depot activity how is umatilla depot activity.
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