Clearfield Naval Supply Depot, 1942
Construction on the Navy’s largest inland supply depot began in 1942 in Clearfield, Utah. Federal officials chose Clearfield because it offered security from enemy attacks, access to railways and trucking facilities, and was also equidistant from Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
Clearfield residents were initially unhappy to give up their farmland. After months of arguments between citizens and government leaders, LDS President David O. McKay held a private meeting with many of the farmers. When the residents walked out of the meeting, they agreed to sell their land.
The Clearfield Naval Supply Depot was 841 acres and housed 10% of the Navy’s total coverage storage. 8,000 employees, including 500 German POWs, worked in three rotating shifts so the depot never closed. Each month they shipped out over 4,000 train carloads of materials.
Due to the massive population growth, Clearfield faced housing and transportation challenges. Residents were asked to help house the war workers. Many converted chicken coops and bunny houses into rooms, while others doubled up children in beds to free up rooms. Military housing built by the government soon alleviated some of these issues.
In 1962 the Navy decommissioned the depot, and the property was sold. It is now the Freeport Center, a manufacturing and distribution center.
