Ground was broken on the 4,160-acre (1,700 ha) naval reservation in March 1942,[3] and its first phase opened in early August;[4] by September the base had a population of 55,000, making it the largest "city" in the state.[5] At the time, Farragut was the second-largest training center in the world (behind Naval Station Great Lakes near Chicago),[2] and liberty trains ran three times daily to Spokane, Washington,[6] about an hour away.
Rail service aboard the station was provided by the Northern Pacific Railway over a 5½-mile (9 km) line that connected to the NP main line at Athol. The first freight train reached the facility on 5 June 1942.[7]
A shipment of 75 lifeboats, removed from passenger liners held in port by war restrictions, was received in June 1942,[3] and Wallace-born movie star Lana Turner, who was promoting War Bonds to base contract employees, made an appearance.[8][9][10][11][12] The installation was formally activated in mid-September;[13][14] a few days later, it was visited by PresidentRoosevelt, part of a nationwide tour which was kept secret until he returned to the White House.[15][16][17]
In 1942, Lt. Commander Henry T. McMaster, supervisor of support services at the station, contracted photographer Ross Hall to produce group and portrait photos of all recruits and companies. Operator of a studio in nearby Sandpoint, Hall employed up to fifteen workers in creating a photographic archive of more than 300,000 images.[18]
Over 293,000 sailors received basic training at Farragut during its 30 months of existence. The last recruit graduated in March 1945 and the facility was decommissioned in June 1946.[27][28]
Post-war
From 1946–49, it was the site of the Farragut College and Technical Institute,[5][29][30][31][32] which had copious athletic facilities.[33] It ceased operations prior to the fall term in 1949, due to decreased enrollment and financial difficulties.[34][35]
A remaining military feature of the state park is the Museum at the Brig, located in the confinement facility of the naval training station. Its displays include boot camp, naval, and war memorabilia as well as historic prison cells.[37]
Don Samuelson, a future governor, was stationed at Farragut as a weapons instructor. Originally from Illinois in the Midwest, he stayed in Sandpoint after the war and was elected governor in 1966.[19]
The Navy has maintained a presence on Lake Pend Oreille at Bayview with its Acoustic Research Detachment, part of the Carderock Division of the Naval Surface Warfare Center. In the deep (1,150 feet (350 m)) and isolated waters of Lake Pend Oreille, scaled-down prototypes of submarines are tested; a free-field ocean-like environment is available without the problems and costs.[39][40][41][42]
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