Recollections on Colville AFS, WA

Extracted from a letter dated April 11, 1999 written by Norman LaVigne to Dick Konizeski

Norman was a Philco tech rep at Colville AFS when it was in operation, and resides at Black Lake, just a few miles (as the crow flies) from the old radar site. He bought his place while working at the radar site.

The road to the site is still open in the summer time. The old concrete buildings are still on the mountain top. The main camp, living quarters, offices, etc, have all been removed. They were located where the map shows ‘Spruce Canyon Youth Camp’. After the radar site was closed down these facilities were used as a boys camp for boys who had gotten into trouble. They worked in the woods on State land-thinning timber, etc.

Then a short distance below the main camp was 8 or 10 houses that were provided to some of the military. Most of the military enlisted men lived in barracks at the main camp. Most of the officers lived in Colville.

At the main camp they had a huge mess hall, recreation hall, and even a jail.

The Commanding Officer during most of my stay there was Major Jack Eggington - later a Major McCune.

The local paper ran a column every week on news from the 760th AC & W Squadron – we may get some of those. The paper won’t copy those for the museum-they can see them but they must sit there and copy them in longhand.