CLEARFIELD -- The military "invasion" of Clearfield in the 1940s changed a sleepy region of Davis County for generations.
What swooped into this quiet farming community first was an air base, quickly followed by a naval depot.
Flash-forward to 2010. What remains of the invasion is an active Hill Air Force Base and the former naval depot, now flourishing as the home to two private business parks, the Freeport Center and Freeport West.
The former Clearfield Naval Supply Depot has been split up into several tracts and currently is providing, among all the tenants, more than 7,000 jobs.
A longtime worker at the former depot said businesses along the way recognized Clearfield as a jumping-off point for distribution.
"One inventory served four major West Coast markets," said George Ross, who has worked at the Clearfield location since 1965 and currently is executive managing director for Freeport West.
The history of the depot includes several changes from public to private ownership.
The establishment of the Ogden Air Depot in 1940, named Hill Field, led to a corresponding development on the southwestern side of the city as the Navy installed the Clearfield Depot.
Some area residents at first were opposed to the Navy's depot plan, according to the authors of the Utah History Encyclopedia.
The Ogden Chamber of Commerce supported the idea, stressing both patriotic and economic advantages. In 1942, the Navy received authorization to buy the land, and local farmers were paid for crops they were growing there. Construction finished in 1943.
The encyclopedia explains what happened next:
"Clearfield was considered a prime location for the depot because of its relative security from enemy attack, nearby air transportation at Hill Air Force Base, the dry climate and the proximity of railroads and highways. The depot was an important naval installation for the warehousing and distribution of supplies to West Coast supply points."
The historians further wrote: "In April 1945, 500 German prisoners of war were assigned to the depot as work crews. After World War II, the depot handled surplus property. During the Korean War, the distribution workload increased again. After that conflict, the depot began to phase out."
The depot was decommissioned by 1962, but the facility did not stay empty for long. Private companies soon began moving into the large warehouse buildings.
Part of the area became known as the Freeport Center and currently, with two private owners, is a Western hub for manufacturing, warehousing and distribution that had 98 percent of the facility rented in May, said Betty Parker, Freeport Center property manager.
With its own ZIP code, the Freeport Center is home to more than 90 national and local companies. What had been a busy rail center in the 1960s moved more toward road distribution with its easy access to Interstate 15.
Parker said the center has more than 7 million square feet in 78 buildings, ranging in size from 4,000 to 400,000 square feet, on 680 acres.
More buildings can be built on the 70-plus acres designated for growth.
Among the major companies in the center are Alliant Techsystems, Utility Trailer, Honeywell Fram Filters, Gardenburger, Kellogg, Levy Home Entertainment, Petzl America, and Lifetime Products.
Lifetime is the largest employer -- it has more than 1,000 employees.
The Freeport Center's name is a reference to Utah's Freeport Law, enacted in 1988. This law exempts inventory held for sale from property taxes.
Also along the way, the U.S. government in 1981 sold more than 1 million square feet of acreage that had been part of the depot to Kern Schumacher, a Nevada resident, who originally owned the Freeport Center.
Schumacher created Freeport West Industrial Properties. With 10 buildings and more than 30 tenants, Freeport West has expanded as a company to add six other U.S. locations and is headquartered in Salt Lake City.
Among the tenants in Clearfield are Utah Stamping, Yusef Labs and more of the Lifetime Products facilities.
Ross said that, with fluctuating gasoline costs, he is optimistic a renewed look at rail delivery can further enhance the Freeport locations.
"Rail transportation can be more efficient -- energy-wise -- than truck transportation," he said.
Also on the grounds of the former Clearfield Naval Supply Depot is the 80-acre Clearfield Job Corps Center.
Job Corps is a no-cost education and career technical training program administered by the U.S. Department of Labor that helps those ages 16 to 24 through career technical and academic training.
At the Clearfield Job Corps, more than 1,000 students reside in 16 dormitories and, according to the official website, is the third-largest Job Corps campus in the nation.
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