Fifty-two thousand acres were purchased for the construction of the camp. It was located 28 miles due east of Austin, Texas, halfway between Bastrop and Elgin. The general topography of the site's 56,000 acres was hilly uplands and flat lowlands.
After much lobbying by the Texas members of the House and the Senate, Camp Swift was chosen in July of 1941 to be one of the 14 new military camps to be built. However, in September of that same year, Lyndon B. Johnson announced that, due to lack of funds, the camps would probably never be built. It took the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 to force the building of the camp.
Fifty-two thousand acres were purchased for the construction of the camp. It was located 28 miles due east of Austin, Texas, halfway between Bastrop and Elgin. The general topography of the site's 56,000 acres was hilly uplands and flat lowlands.
The site was chosen because of its prime location: between two small towns (Bastrop and Elgin), near a railroad (for troop transport), and near a large city (Austin). It was also important that the site have access to plenty of clean water (the Colorado River) and a climate favorable to year-round training.
Named after Texas native Major General Eben Swift, who fought in the Indian wars of 1876 and during World War I commanded Allied forces in Italy, the building of the camp required over 18,000 civilian men and women. With its 2,750 buildings, its streets, and its utilities, it was a complete mini-city which cost $25 million and was built in the amazingly short time of four months. In June of 1942, Camp Swift opened its doors to the first troops.
Interviews with people who remember Camp Swift
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