In January of 1941, two new 750,000 gallon water reservoirs were under construction on a hill above the new barracks for the 41st Division Cantonment at Fort Lewis. The new reservoirs were built to supply all of the water needed for the additional 23,000 military men who were expected at the base beginning in February of 1941. As the Selective Service Act poured more men into the military, more room was needed for the training and housing of these troops. Fort Lewis, and Pierce County, benefited from the stepped up wartime construction. Over 6,500 men were employed daily at the base in various construction projects, many of them local, previously unemployed workers. (T. Times 1/16/1941, pg. 1 +)
