Defense Depot Ogden

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This page was last updated on June 22, 2025.

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Utah General Depot

A description from 1964.

Defense Depot Ogden (still called "Second Street" by most Ogden residents) continues to remain one of the largest supply-type depots in the United States. It has 6,189,000 square feet of covered storage space available in 69 warehouses of various types. The largest of these warehouses constructed of concrete offers 280,000 square feet, or six and one-half acres, of storage space under one roof. There are 610,000 square feet of hardstand for open storage and 8,521,000 square feet of graded and drained area for possible future use. The installation has 563,500 square feet of modern shop facilities and 28,000 square feet for the care and preservation operations. An 800-car rail-marshaling yard ties into a network of 45 miles of railroad which services the various warehouses and is spurred into Ogden's terminal. There are some 46 miles of paved streets which allow motor access to the warehouse area and all parts of the installation.

History

In May 1940 the United States Army requested that the War Department establish a depot for distribution of equipment sufficient to supply the needs of 500,000 men. Ogden, Utah was a prime location, thanks to its rail infrastructure and centrality to the Pacific, Mexican and Canadian ports. In under 48 hours, the citizens of Ogden rallied together to raise $99,632 to purchase the land and assure that the War Department selected their town for the site. Within months, 41 buildings were under construction, constituting what would become 6.5 million square feet under roof. On September 15, 1941 Utah General Depot was officially activated.

Beginning on October 22, 1940 and continuing daily, there were legal notices requesting bids for the construction of seven warehouses at what would be Utah General Supply Depot. The bids were to be opened on November 12, 1940.

November 12, 1940
"Colonel Thomas said the warehouses will measure 132 by 602 feet and will house supplies for signal corps, quartermaster and medical units." (Salt Lake Telegram, November 12, 1940)

"Utah General Depot was originally meant to be a permanent installation, and the warehouses were made with six-inch reinforced concrete floors, eight-inch brick walls, and steel-truss-constructed roofs." (Utah Historical Quarterly, Volume 32, Number 2, April 1964)

Construction began in late November 1940. Formal ground-breaking took place on December 12, 1940. Newspapers did not cover any official opening ceremony, but the first official order, covering the responsibilities and duties of the Army commander, arrived on September 12, 1941. Supplies to be stored within the warehouses began earlier in the year, "in hundreds of carloads" and placed into storage as separate warehouses were completed. Security for the facility passed civilian contractors to military personnel on September 12, 1941. The initial seven warehouses were reported as being complete by September 20th, but much of the other specialized facilities were still under construction. The local newspapers carried stories throughout September 1941 describing in great detail most of the separate buildings and facilities as they were completed.

First known as the Utah General Supply Depot, the name was changed to Utah General Quartermaster Depot in October 1941. This designation lasted until June 1943, when the Depot was renamed Utah Army Service Forces Depot — the name by which it was known until after the end of World War II. In May 1946, the facility was renamed as the Utah General Depot.

"It was officially announced today through the public relations department of the Utah quartermaster depot that, effective immediately, the new designation of the west Second street installation will be the Utah army service forces depot. The Utah A. S. F. depot, the largest army depot in the U. S., includes in its organization seven sub-depots pertaining respectively to the chemical warfare/service, engineer corps, signal corps, quartermaster corps, ordnance department, medical corps and transportation corps. The only major supply service of the army not represented at the Utah depot is the air corps, which maintains a separate system of depots, charged with the supply of all aviation materials, supplies and equipment." (Ogden Standard Examiner, June 2, 1943)

"Quartermaster Corps in April 1954, made Utah General Depot responsible for all quartermaster depots in the 10 Western States, from Colorado to the West Coast (except New Mexico) , and the Alaskan, Pacific, and Far Western commands. In September of 1955 UGD received the mission of storing repair parts for all the area west of the Mississippi River. Three years later UGD was assigned the mission of supplying all clothing and textiles for the entire Armed Forces in the western United States. In 1960 UGD began modification of parachute and air delivery equipment." (Utah Historical Quarterly, Volume 32, Number 2, April 1964)

The name changed over the years, as the various commands and corps within the U. S. Army changed. Based on newspaper reporting, there were 10 different names, with the following begin dates.

Until 1964, the installation operated as a part of the U. S. Army's Quartermaster Corps., serving the overall needs of keeping the U. S. Army supply system furnished with new, refurbished, rebuilt, and repaired materials. On January 1, 1964, Utah Army Depot became Defense Depot Ogden, serving the needs of the Department of Defense's Defense Supply Agency, created in 1961 to oversee all of DoD's supply needs, across all branches of the department.

(Read the Wikipedia article about DLA)

Throughout its life, Utah General Depot, then Defense Depot Ogden, then Defense Distribution Depot Ogden Utah (DDOU) continued to be an important asset to the U.S. military, providing supplies for military activities such as the Korean, Vietnam and Desert Storm conflicts. The Depot became known as the “Hub of the West”, thanks to its central location in relation to railroad, highways and ports.

DDOU, along with nearby Hill Air Force Base, was considered for closure as part of the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC), Defense Depot Ogden was closed and in 2003 the land and buildings were deeded to Ogden City. Newspaper reports show that there was no effort made to keep DDOU open, with Ogden City almost immediately making plans in mid 1995 for commercial development of the 1000 acres.

(Read the Wikipedia article about the 1995 BRAC closures; although Defense Depot Ogden is not included on the list)

The formal closure of DDOU was on September 30, 1997. Most of the warehousing and repair work was transferred to Hill Air Force Base. The disposal of the DDUO property was scheduled to be completed in 2001. After the September 1997 closure, the Depot property was leased to Ogden City, pending a formal environmental review.

An environmental impact study of the disposal and redevelopment of the Depot was completed, and reported in February 1998 as having no environmental impact, "The proposed action is to dispose of property made available by realigning DDOU, as mandated by the 1995 BRAC Commission. DDOU, which occupies approximately 1,118 acres is in the northwest area of Ogden, Weber County, Utah. The Army will retain 43.5 acres of DOOU property for use as a reserve enclave. The Army will proceed to negotiate the transfer of approximately 1,075 acres to the Ogden Redevelopment Authority." (Salt Lake Tribune, April 6, 1998)

As part of the planned and assured transfer of the depot to Ogden City, in 1999, the Boyer Company entered into a long-term lease agreement with the city to manage and develop the facility into the future; creating what is today Business Depot Ogden.

Cocooned Locomotives

Between 1955 and 1958, the Engineering Section at Utah General Depot carried on a program of long-term storage cocooning of railway rolling stock. During the 1960s and early 1970s, the number of cocooned locomotives was slowly reduced as many were removed from storage and transferred to a wide variety of government agencies that needed a railroad locomotive for their own logistics requirements.

The locomotives, built at a time of national emergency in the early 1950s, were stored as a hedge against another time of emergency. By storing these locomotives, the Department of Defense saved taxpayers dollars and provided for increased response time in an emergency by having a fleet of operable railroad locomotives within 24 hours after removing them from storage, compared to a possible 6 months if built at the time of need. Originally 119 locomotives were stored at Ogden in their large silver storage cocoons, and were a landmark for travelers along 12th Street during the 1950s, 60s and 70s.

On Monday September 15, 1965 an 80-ton locomotive built in 1953 was removed from its storage cocoon at Defense Depot Ogden, seeing the light of day for the first time since it was placed in protective storage shortly after being built. It was one of 86 locomotives still stored under special cocoons at the site. (Deseret News, Wednesday September 15, 1965)

Business Depot Ogden

Ogden, Utah (former Defense Depot Ogden)

(Read more about Business Depot Ogden, as part of the page about Defense Depot Ogden)

The federal government gave the 1,118 acres of the former Defense Depot Ogden to the city of Ogden in 1997. The action was the result of the military’s Base Realignment and Closure process, and the former defense depot land was conveyed to the city at no cost. After taking ownership, and after a formal request-for-proposals, Ogden City entered into a long-term development agreement with the Boyer Company, a Salt Lake City-based real estate development firm. The result was a public-private partnership that transformed what was once called Defense Depot Ogden, into a successful master-planned business park, called Business Depot Ogden.

Included in the transfer of ownership were all the buildings and facilities, including the railroad tracks and the single railroad locomotive assigned to the defense depot. Although the locomotive is on wheels and fully portable, it is seen as an asset and is part of the public-private partnership agreement. Between 2003 and 2008, Utah Central was under contract to provide railroad switching services to BDO, and used the locomotive to perform those services. In 2008, Utah Central was purchased by Patriot Rail and ended the use of the BDO locomotive, and began using a locomotive that it owned.

According to the public-private partnership agreement, Boyer was to have developed 106 acres in the business park by the end of 2014, and 242 acres by 2034. But when three new buildings open on the northern end of the complex in 2017, there will be 320 total acres of new development in BDO.

Defense Depot Ogden was closed as a government facility on September 30, 1997. After completing the environmental cleanup, ownership of the buildings and property passed to the City of Ogden in 2003. Business Depot Ogden was created as a public-private partnership operated by the Boyer Company, to manage the property.

In March 1998, Ogden City received a federal grant for $2.4 million to make the needed repairs to the streets, and sewer and water lines within the former military base. Pending other agreements, the facility was being leased to the city.

On December 14, 1999, the Ogden City council unanimously approved The Boyer Company for a 40-year lease of what was then called the Ogden Regional Business and Industrial Center, later renamed as Business Depot Ogden. (Salt Lake Tribune, December 16, 1999)

In February 2004, Utah Central Railway acquired rights from Boyer BDO and City of Ogden to provide switching services and operate within Business Depot Ogden. (STB Finance Docket 34457, service date February 6, 2004)

Locomotives

F-M H12-44 -- 1 unit
1200 horsepower; B-B trucks

Road
Number		 Locomotive
Model		 Builder
Number		 Date
Built		 Date To
BDO
DLA 53205 H12-44 12L678 Feb 1953 2003

(View several photos of DLA 53205)

General Notes:

  1. DLA 53205 was built in February 1953 as U. S. Army Transportation Corps (USATC) no. 1854; transferred to Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), numbered as DLA 53205; assigned to Defense Depot Ogden, Ogden, Utah.
  2. DLA 53205 was one of 306 H-12-44 switching locomotive built. All were built between May 1950 and March 1957.
  3. DLA 53205 was built in February 1953, as part of a group of twenty H12-44 units built for the U. S. Army Transportation Corps. in January and February 1953. The units were numbered as USATC 1843-1862.
  4. Former Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) 53205 was owned by the City of Ogden, Uta, and leased to the privately-held Business Depot Ogden, which is the former Defense Depot Ogden. For several years, the locomotive was used by Utah Central to switch cars at the privately-owned Business Depot Ogden. The locomotive was apparently used without proper authority.
  5. Since late 2023, ownership of the locomotive was in question, so donation was apparently not an option. Since it was unserviceable and inoperable, and the track it was stored on was very soon to be removed to make way of future expansion, the locomotive was moved to Durbano Metals in Ogden and scrapped.

Plymouth DDT -- 1 unit
145 horsepower; 4-wheel; 16 tons

Road
Number		 Locomotive
Model		 Builder
Number		 Date
Built		 Date To
BDO
DLA 85315 Plymouth Model DDT 7431 Feb 1985 2003

General Notes:

  1. DLA 85315 was built in February 1985; assigned to Defense Depot Ogden, Ogden, Utah.
  2. Purchased by U.S. Army Troop Support Command and Defense Logistics Agency (DLA); assigned to U.S. Army, Defense Property Disposal Office #DLA 85315, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Virginia
  3. Transferred to Defense Depot Ogden (date?)

More Information

Utah Historical Quarterly, Volume 32, Number 2, Spring 1964, "Supply Hub of the West: Defense Depot Ogden, 1941-1964" (PDF; 25 pages; 7.0 MB)

(Read the Wikipedia article about Defense Depot Ogden)

(View photos of Defense Depot Ogden at the Utah Historical Society; many are misidentified and are actually Ogden Arsenal)

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