Camp Livingston Louisiana WWII Army Camp

The areas surrounding Alexandria were the site of the massive Louisiana Maneuvers staged before and during World War II.

Within a 30-miles radius of Alexandria, the military constructed Camp Livingston, Camp Claiborne, Esler Field, Alexandria Army Air Base (later England Air Force Base), and reactivated Camp Beauregard. Camp Polk was located further west of Alexandria near Leesville.

Camp Livingston, a major focal point in the maneuvers, was active during 1940-1945, occupied about 47,000 acres and was a key element in the Louisiana Maneuvers.

I clearly remember driving the abandoned roads of the camp with my father during the late 1950s as we journeyed from Alexandria east to Little River, Lonnie's Landing and Walker Lake.

The camp was situated generally northeast of Alexandria, off US165, and close to Camp Beauregard and Esler Field. The other major area army facility, Camp Claiborne, was southwest of Alexandria.

Other Alexandria area military facilities included Alexandria Army Air Base and Camp Polk.

This section of the Alexandria Retrospective gives an overview of Camp Livingston, organized as follows:

• Camp Livingston's history
• its impact on Alexandria and its citizens
• the camp today
• historic postcards of the camp
• photographs and artifacts
• links to more detailed resources and About This Site

The former Camp Livingston area is now under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Forest Service which provides various recreational opportunities via a series of trails and other facilities.