Twin Cities Ordnance Plant
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Twin Cities Ordnance Plant
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Old bunkers, storage units, water towers, massive buildings, and the like give an old fort, military base, or ordnance plant character. These deserted, modern ghost towns usually had railroads supplying and shipping their goods.
History
Construction began in August 1941 as one of the first wave ordnance plants. Federal Cartridge operated the plant from 1941 to 1945, from 1951 to 1957, and again from 1966 to 1975. Though construction originally began to supply the Allies with ammunition, after Pearl Harbor, it became even more critical to bring the plant into operation once the U.S. entered the war. It quickly became one of the largest volume producers. Caliber 30, caliber 45, caliber 50, caliber 50 spotter-tracer, 7.62mm and 5.56mm ammunition were produced here.
Railroads
A document from Minnesota Commercial lists trackage at the plant, but from the rusted out locomotives and equipment seen from satellite photos, it looks like service is no longer provided. Though still used in some capacity, the area is mostly deserted and no longer produces ammunition. The National Guard uses portions of the site for training, and as local communities build on the site (the Ramsey County Sheriff's department being one) tracks are being ripped out.
