Camp Bouse
General George Patton established camp
Bouse in 1943 in the Butler Valley as
the site for training over 5,500 carefully
screened and qualified volunteers.
These soldiers were trained to use a
highly secret weapon called the Canal
Defense Light. Dubbed the "Gizmo" by
the soldiers who operated it, the CDL
was a 13-million candlepower searchlight
mounted on specialized tanks for the
purpose of illuminating the area at
night to dazzle the enemy with its
flickering light. Troop trains brought
the highly trained soldiers and their
equipment from Fort Knox under heavy
guard on October 14, 1943.
Marker Dedicated by the Arizona State Society
Daughters of the American Revolution
February 13, 2010
Jo Beaver Andress, State Recent
