Welcome to Camp Barkeley, where the sounds of marching boots and roaring military vehicles once filled the air. This camp played a crucial role in training thousands of soldiers during World War II, preparing them for battle in Europe and the Pacific.

Camp Barkeley, named after Private David B. Barkley, was one of the largest military training facilities in the United States during World War II. Spanning 77,000 acres—roughly the size of modern-day Washington, D.C.—this was no small camp. It was a city in itself. Imagine barracks lined row after row, mess halls feeding thousands, and chapels filled with soldiers praying before deployment.

The camp housed an extensive medical training center, producing more than 12,500 officers for military hospitals worldwide. It also held a German prisoner-of-war camp, and though most POWs worked without incident, a few daring escape attempts rattled the locals.

And here’s a little-known fact: The camp was named after Private David B. Barkley, a World War I hero. But someone made a spelling error when naming it—adding an extra “e” to his last name—and it stuck!

Today, the land has returned to nature, but its impact remains. Without Camp Barkeley, Abilene’s Dyess Air Force Base may never have existed.

As you leave this spot, imagine the sound of boots on the ground, the distant echoes of military drills.

Now, let’s step back even further to the days when Buffalo Gap was a booming frontier town.