Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant begins production

On this day in 1942, the Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant, also called the Longhorn Ordnance Works, began producing munitions on a 10,000-acre site beside Caddo Lake at Karnack, Harrison County. In December 1941, following the entry of the United States into World War II, the Monsanto Chemical Company selected the site for a facility for the manufacture of explosives. By August 15, 1945, the plant had turned out 414,805,500 pounds of TNT. The factory continued to play a role in defense production through the Cold War years.