where did the gold at fort knox come from
United States Bullion Depository
In 1933 , U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 6102 , which outlawed the private ownership of gold coins , gold bullion , and gold certificates by American citizens , forcing them to sell these to the Federal Reserve . As a result , the value of the gold held by the Federal Reserve increased from $4 billion to $12 billion between 1933 and 1937 . This left the federal government with a large gold reserve and no place to store it . In 1936 , the U.S. Treasury Department began construction of the United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox , Kentucky , on land transferred from the military . The Gold Vault was completed in December 1936 for US $560,000 . The site is located on what is now Bullion Boulevard at the intersection of Gold Vault Road . The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 , in recognition of its significance in the economic history of the United States and its status as a well - known landmark . It is constructed of granite quarried at the North Carolina Granite Corporation Quarry Complex . 
In 1933 , U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 6102 , which outlawed the private ownership of gold coins , gold bullion , and gold certificates by American citizens , forcing them to sell these to the Federal Reserve . As a result , the value of the gold held by the Federal Reserve increased from $4 billion to $12 billion between 1933 and 1937 . This left the federal government with a large gold reserve and no place to store it . In 1936 , the U.S. Treasury Department began construction of the United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox , Kentucky , on land transferred from the military . The Gold Vault was completed in December 1936 for US $560,000 . The site is located on what is now Bullion Boulevard at the intersection of Gold Vault Road . The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 , in recognition of its significance in the economic history of the United States and its status as a well - known landmark . It is constructed of granite quarried at the North Carolina Granite Corporation Quarry Complex .
In 1933 the private ownership of gold coins, gold bullion, and gold certificates by American citizens was outlawed, forcing them to sell these to the Federal Reserve. This left the federal government with a large gold reserve and no place to store it. Therefore the U.S. Treasury Department began construction of the United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox , Kentucky.
In 1933 , U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 6102 , which outlawed the private ownership of gold coins , gold bullion , and gold certificates by American citizens , forcing them to sell these to the Federal Reserve . This left the federal government with a large gold reserve and no place to store it . In 1936 , the U.S. Treasury Department began construction of the United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox , Kentucky , on land transferred from the military .