Tooele Army Depot (TEAD) was established in 1942 and completed in 1943 on the land of the Goshute people, current ancestors of the early Desert Archaic Indians who inhabited the area around 11,000 years ago.


The north area was originally known as Tooele Ordnance Depot since it served as a storage center for supplies, ammunition, and combat vehicles during World War II. A few years later, in 1949, Tooele took over the Deseret Chemical Depot which had been known as TEAD South Area until it was renamed Tooele Army Depot in 1962. This led to responsibilities of topographic equipment, construction equipment, troop support items, power generators, and a variety of wheeled vehicles, all of which have played a part in major U.S. conflicts since that time.


In 1964, Tooele took over Hill Air Force Base's non-tactical generator and rail center and equipment repair facility in addition to its normal operations. However, this was in turn redesignated to the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) of Warren, Michigan, in 1999 due to Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC).


As a result of BRAC 1988, TEAD was given control of the Pueblo Army Depot Activity's general supply storage mission; BRAC 1993 reduced TEAD's mission of troop support, storage, maintenance and distribution; and BRAC 2005 suggested a relocation of Sierra Army Depot's and Hawthorne Army Depot's storage mission to TEAD. In 2010, the depot became a Center of Industrial and Technical Excellence for Ammunition Peculiar Equipment, and continues to operate as a center for storage, reception, issue, maintenance and demilitarization of conventional munitions.