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11
TOOELE'S DEFENSE INDUSTRIES X ooele County's vast spaces, transportation facilities, and limited population combined with its close proximity to the Wasatch Front's populated communities with their many resources has helped lead to the establishment of many important military and industrial facilities both by the government and by private companies beginning in the middle of the twentieth century. These facilities have helped the county grow and its residents prosper with their accompanying good-paying employment opportunities, although, as the twentieth century draws to a close, a combination of factors has resulted in the closing or downsizing of some of these facilities and the public's questioning of others.
Tooele Army Depot During the early period of World War II, the government purchased for $94,221 land five miles southwest of the town of Tooele for the construction of what became Tooele Ordnance Depot (TOD). A contract for more than $26.7 million was let to four contractors to complete the construction work, which began in 1942. l The depot 247
