Camp Ashland, Nebraska is an Army National Guard facility located near Ashland, Nebraska, along the Platte River. The camp has been in use by the Nebraska National Guard for more than 100 years. The camp is currently home to the 209th Regimental Training Institute. Year-round training is conducted at Camp Ashland, and it is considered one of the midwest's most important military training centers, with 80,000 to 100,000 service members training at the camp every year. Each weekend can see anywhere from 300 to 1,000 troops at the camp, above and beyond the service members attending schools there. Early history The camp was first established in 1906 after the Spanish–American War. It was used as a rifle range, in order for Nebraska Soldiers to improve their marksmanship through target practice. At the time, the owner of the land rented part of her farm to the state of Nebraska for $994.05. The state constructed ranges and conducted "encampments" (now known as annual training) at the site and renewed the lease option. The Federal government purchased the land in 1916. When Nebraska National Guard troops returned home from World War I in 1919, the site of the camp had fallen into disrepair. Repairs were conducted using Federal funds, and in 1923, annual training once again occurred at Camp Ashland. During this time frame, the camp developed rapidly. An administration building was constructed, along with a wooden boxing ring. In 1930, Memorial Hall was dedicated, and served as the Camp's primary administration building for decades (currently known as Building 50). During the 1930s the boxing ring was rebuilt by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) into a concrete arena with a 3,000 person capacity. Eventually, the firing-range operations were moved to a location 130 miles southwest, currently known as Greenlief Training Site, near Hastings, Nebraska. Current use The camp is home to the 209th Regimental Training Institute (RTI), which consists of Headquarters (HQ), 209th RTI, 1/209th RTI (NCO Academy), 2/209th RTI (OCS/WOCS), 3/209th RTI (88M), and Camp Ashland Training Site Command (CATS). Access to the camp is restricted to the public and only authorized personnel and those with United States Department of Defense (DOD) identification are allowed to enter. Camp Ashland has remained a primary training site for the Nebraska National Guard throughout its history, and has also been used by other branches of the active United States military, other state National Guard units,