This spring I finally got a chance to explore an abandoned army that's spent too long on my UE bucket list. Built during the first world war, this 13,000 acre site was used to test and store high explosives, artillery rounds, and mustard gas shells. The Army used several areas for demolition, burning of obsolete ordnance and waste disposal. At its Hight during the second world war over 7,000 people worked at the facility. that number dwindled to 500 by the time of its closure in the early 2000's. The Facility operations contaminated much of the soils, groundwater, surface water and sediment with hazardous chemicals. As a result the land was declared a extreme hazard and a superfund site. In the years that followed the majority of the property, some 9,000 acers was transferred to the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge.

The Depot today is a creepy, intriguing place, large storage buildings left to rot, surrounded by tall fences topped by barbed wire; looming stacks of a steam generation plant; deer graze next over grown streets. The depot’s skeleton remains intact, but the heart and soul, the thousands of people who once worked here, are long gone, replaced by no trespassing signs and warnings about unexploded ordinance.

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God damn, that sounds like a huge area. How much did you see? How were you travelling around inside?

Been a long time since I was there. Ran into some trouble on the way out from someone patrolling the waterfront edge. Kept asking me what I was doing, and all I would say was "hiking and now going home."

Posted by Steed God damn, that sounds like a huge area. How much did you see? How were you travelling around inside?

Pretty sure this is the one in that region I've been to, it encompasses 25 square miles of land. It's absolutely massive and even with three visits I've only seen a tiny fraction of it.

Thanks for posting, these are great! That boiler room is a real treat, I've checked it out every time I visit.

Posted by Steed God damn, that sounds like a huge area. How much did you see? How were you travelling around inside?

Sadly I was only able to commit an afternoon to exploring the place. and I only got a chance to see a small portion of it.

Thankfully I was able to drive around the property. Since some areas have been repurposed by small business most of the roads are open to the public.

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Very cool set! I love how clean it is. Those signs are especially appealing to me. Just a recommendation maybe cover your license plate. Not to be the MSP dude talking about how the FBI is watching us, but it doesn't hurt to be careful!

Sick spot + post!! Really clean for being so old. I shoulda given it a looksie since I was just down in a reasonable range from that area! always another time I suppose. anyways, cool shots dude!

total dream find!

Posted by MrBungle Sick spot + post!! Really clean for being so old. I shoulda given it a looksie since I was just down in a reasonable range from that area! always another time I suppose. anyways, cool shots dude!

The conditions really is remarkable, and makes it worth a dedicated trip.

Thank you!

This was one of the first spots I ever checked out! Course when I went I got shot at by a farmer and questioned by an Army Officer. Actually was just there today. Safe to say I didn't have the same issues

Am I the only one suddenly not able to view the photos?

Posted by Steed Am I the only one suddenly not able to view the photos?

Nope, I can't see them now either.

I'm not sure why the links to my flicker aren't working. Everything is set to be publicly viewable.

Sorry the original photos links in this post stopped working.
Lets try this again with a different photo hosting site.


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Hey! I'm pretty sure I know where you're talking about lol, and I have thought of visiting for some time now. Is there anything I should be prepared for safety-wise? I do a lot of photography in abandoned places and I've had any problems with guards, asbestos, or anything so far, but I always like to be prepared. Thanks in advance : )

Posted by SummerSoldier34 Hey! I'm pretty sure I know where you're talking about lol, and I have thought of visiting for some time now. Is there anything I should be prepared for safety-wise? I do a lot of photography in abandoned places and I've had any problems with guards, asbestos, or anything so far, but I always like to be prepared. Thanks in advance : )

The Depot has several hazards. Firstly, the site is under active environmental remediation. This means there are several hazardous materials littered around the property, including unexploded ordinance. Secondly, the site is still an interest of the Army, and they have an office on site. If you approach from the wrong side, or they see your car parked somewhere it shouldn't be, you might have a problem. Thirdly, there are farmers who are very territorial, they don't like people sneaking around their land or the surrounding land. I got some warning shots fired above my head first time I was around there. Those are all pretty easy to avoid though. Stay on the roads, find a good parking spot, and stay away from the farmers land.

I'd also like to add that the unexploded ordinance isn't a problem for 90% of the site- but it's hyperconcentrated in a few areas, most heavily in the munition burn pit and the testing range. I'd recommend finding it on this website and taking a quick scroll through the map to figure out exactly where those are so you can avoid them.

Bombs In Your Backyard

Second, in addition to the hazards Razzy mentioned, the railroad companies also sometimes work on part of the site, and I've seen rail bulls in their white trucks patrolling the grounds.

Of course, the entire plant is 25 square miles in area so there's a lot of room to maneuver around the soldiers, farmers, and rail cops, but they are out there. That being said I've only had a problem one out of three visits so usually it's chill if you're stealthy about it.

Posted by SummerSoldier34 Hey! I'm pretty sure I know where you're talking about lol, and I have thought of visiting for some time now. Is there anything I should be prepared for safety-wise? I do a lot of photography in abandoned places and I've had any problems with guards, asbestos, or anything so far, but I always like to be prepared. Thanks in advance : )

The biggest thing you have to worry about is where to stash your vehicle. There are public roads that go through the depot as well as active buildings that have been repurposed by local business. There isn't any routine security patrols there, but there are plenty of civilians on the look out for vandals and trespassers.