Biden designates Camp Hale as a national monument

LEADVILLE, Colo. (KRDO) -- Wednesday, President Joe Biden designated Camp Hale and the Tenmile Range as Colorado's newest national monument.

The president was in Leadville for the designation ceremony Wednesday.

“This is the story of America the beautiful,” Biden said as he designated the country's newest national monument.

According to our news partners in Denver, the new monument is called the Camp Hale Continental Divide National Monument. Included in the designation are the Camp Hale National Historic Site and the surrounding natural landscape, including the Tenmile Range and a 28-mile section of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDT).

The Biden administration used the Antiquities Act to designate the monument. This Antiquities Act was signed into law by Theodore Roosevelt in 1906. It has been used more than 150 times throughout the history of the United States to establish and expand national monuments to conserve natural landscapes and enhance the cultural heritage of historically significant spaces. 

Camp Hale and the Continental Divide landscape were one of four landscapes identified for protection in the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Economy Act, a piece of legislation that is the result of over a decade of collaboration with Colorado stakeholders.

During World War II, Camp Hale was a center for mountain and winter warfare training, including more than 1,000 buildings within the valley, and was the base of operations for the 10th Mountain Division’s training.

For more information on Camp Hale from the U.S. Forest Service here: Camp Hale