Fort Knox Has Had Few Visitors

President Trump says Elon Musk will be looking at Fort Knox, the famous depository in Kentucky for American gold reserves, to make sure the gold is still there. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says that there is an audit every year and that "all the gold is present and accounted for," the AP reports. Still, Trump told Republican governors Thursday evening: "We're going to open up the the doors. We're going to inspect Fort Knox," adding, "I don't want to open it and the cupboards are bare." Here's what a visitor to the US Bullion Depository might learn:

• The installation: The Army post, about 35 miles south of Louisville, encompasses 109,000 acres in three Kentucky counties—Bullitt, Hardin, and Mead. Camp Knox was established during World War I and became an artillery training center, according to the Army post's website. It was made a permanent installation in 1932 and has been known since then as Fort Knox.
• The gold: The first shipment arrived at Fort Knox in 1937 with the 1st Cavalry Regiment called on to guard it. According to the US Mint, current gold holdings at the US Bullion Depository at Fort Knox are 147.3 million ounces. About half of the Treasury's stored gold is kept at Fort Knox, and it stays there. The Mint says only very small quantities have been removed to test the purity of the gold during regularly scheduled audits. Except for these samples, no gold has been transferred to or from the depository for many years. The gold's book value is $42.22 per ounce.

• Other uses: With the outbreak of World War II in Europe, the Army created the Armored Force at Fort Knox, and thousands of soldiers were ordered there and introduced to the tank. For nearly 80 years, the post was known as the "Home of Cavalry and Armor." In 2005, the Army decided to move the Armor Center and School to Fort Benning, Georgia, and the Human Resource Command Center of Excellence was established at Fort Knox. In 2013, ROTC Cadet Summer Training was consolidated at Fort Knox. The post hosts the Army's largest annual training event.
• The security: The depository is secure. The actual structure and content of the facility are known by only a few, and no one person knows all the procedures to open the vault. What is known publicly is that the facility was built in 1936 using 16,000 cubic feet of granite, 4,200 cubic yards of concrete, 750 tons of reinforcing steel, and 670 tons of structural steel. The place is heavily guarded.
• Past visits: There have been three. In 1974, the US Mint opened the vaults to a group of journalists and members of Congress so they could see the gold reserves. The Treasury secretary allowed the visit after persistent rumors that the gold had been removed. At that time, the only person other than authorized personnel to have accessed the vaults was President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 2017, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin visited with Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin and congressional representatives. Bessent has said he would happily arrange an inspection for any senator interested in seeing the vaults.

(More Fort Knox stories.)