 Soldiers of the 490th trained at several locations initially, including the Elks Building in downtown Abilene, but in 1958, the Army acquired a facility in south Abilene that had served an oil exploration and drilling company since its construction in 1951.The facility was located on the old Ballenger Highway (now known as South Treadaway Boulevard).This facility housed the 490th, along with several other reserve and guard forces, for the next four decades.