Military

Ozark’s history has been largely influenced by Fort Rucker, which traces its origins to the early stages of World War II. Following the massive mobilization of troops in 1942, Camp Rucker was established for training of soldiers. After several periods of inactivity, it became even more central when the Army Aviation School relocated there.

Today, Fort Rucker covers an area of 63,000 acres and employs over 7,500 civilians. The total population of the fort is 16,000. A large amount of military families reside in the area, and about 54,000 retired army and family members live within 40 miles of the fort. Fort Rucker, with a payroll of $1.2 billion, is vital to the economy and way of life of the wiregrass area.

Lake Tholocco, located on Fort Rucker, is 650 acres and provides fishing, swimming, boating, water skiing and wind surfing. Fishing piers, picnic areas, playground, bathrooms. The West Beach (Engineer Beach) has camping areas and campsites with water, showers, electricity, pavilions and grills.

The U.S. Army Aviation Museum contains many one-of-a-kind aircraft and is one of the largest helicopter collections in the world, tracing history and significant developments. Free admission.