In 1858 the area that now forms Camp Dundurn was used as a camping grounds for Metis hunters. Much of the early construction work was done in the 1930s as an Unemployment Relief Camp that was set up to build the base facilities. This included the construction of an airstrip and 45 permanent buildings along with roads, railway spurs and several bridges. The area was used by
Canadian Army units as early as 1928 when it was organized as
Dundurn Military Camp (also
Camp Dundurn). During
World War II the
Royal Canadian Air Force constructed a bombing range on the base and the
Canadian Women's Army Corps established one of its first units at Camp Dundurn. The A27 Canadian Armoured Corps Training Centre (A27 CACTC) moved to Camp Dundurn from
Camp Borden on January 28, 1942. A27 CACTC was later renamed A27 Canadian Reconnaissance Training Centre (A27 CRTC) and it remained on the base until March 1945. During World War II over 50,000 soldiers trained at Camp Dundurn before being assigned to duty overseas. Following the war, Camp Dundurn remained open as a military facility and it was used as a transit hub and holding area for troops returning from the war. In 1947, the No. 6 Ordnance Ammunition Depot opened and permanent married quarters (PMQs) were constructed for personnel and their families. Military consolidation during the 1960s in the lead-up to unification of the
Canadian Forces in 1968 saw Camp Dundurn made a detachment of
CFB Moose Jaw in 1966 for administrative purposes. In 1988, administrative control of CFD Dundurn was reallocated to
CFB Winnipeg's 17 Wing. ==Canadian Forces Ammunition Depot - Dundurn==