Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields:
Southern
Idaho© 2002, © 2004 by
Paul Freeman. Revised 8/27/04.
Bradley Field (revised 5/30/04) - Caldwell Municipal Airport (added 11/22/03)
Floating Feather Airport (revised 5/29/04) - Green Meadow Airport / Stone Airport / Major Airport / Strawberry Glenn Airport (revised 8/27/04)
Pocatello Municipal Airport / McDougall Field (revised 7/11/04) - University Field / Ham's Field (revised 7/25/04)
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Caldwell Municipal Airport, Caldwell, ID
43.67 North / 116.71 West (West of Boise, ID)
Caldwell Municipal Airport, as depicted on the 1944 Boise Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Photo of the airport while open has not been located.
The date of construction of the Caldwell Municipal Airport has not been determined.
The earliest reference to the field which has been located
was in The Airport Directory Company's 1937 Airports Directory
(courtesy of Bob Rambo).It described Caldwell Walker Municipal Airport as having a 2,640' square loam landing area,
with a building on the southeast side of the field.
The 1944 US Army/Navy Directory of Airfields
(courtesy of Ken Mercer)described Caldwell Airport as having a 3,200' unpaved runway,
with hangars on the south & east sides of the field.
The September 1949 Great Salt Lake World Aeronautical Chart
(courtesy of Donald Felton)depicted Caldwell as having a 2,400' unpaved runway.
Apparently the runway at Caldwell was paved at some point between 1949-53,
as the 1953 Boise Sectional Chart
(courtesy of Chris Kennedy)described Caldwell as having a 2,400' hard-surface runway.
Caldwell Municipal Airport, as depicted on the 1967 Boise Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
A 1967 airport directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy) depicted Caldwell as having a single 2,400' paved Runway 12/30,
with taxiways leading to several hangars along the east side of the field.
At some point between 1976-81,
a new & larger Caldwell Industrial Airport was built 3 miles southeast of the town of Caldwell.
Caldwell Municipal Airport was presumably closed upon the opening of the new airport,
as only the new airport was listed in the 1982 AOPA Airport Directory
(courtesy of Ed Drury).
As seen in the above 1992 USGS aerial photo,
much of the runway & parallel taxiway of Caldwell Municipal still existed.
However, an industrial facility had been built over the northeast corner of the former airport property,
and a new road had been built over the former runway,
running to the road along the west side of the property.
It does not appear as if any of the original airfield buildings or hangars remain standing.
The site of Caldwell Municipal is located southwest of the intersection of Route 19 & Farmwell Road.
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University Field / Ham's Field, Pocatello, ID
42.87 North / 112.43 West (North of Salt Lake City, UT)
University Field, as depicted on the February 1945 Pocatello Sectional chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Ham's Field was located on the ground of Idaho State University in Pocatello.
According to Robert Pearson, the school has operated a large vocational school since the 1920's
and has had an aviation division that teaches airframe mechanics since the 1930's.
The aviation school used a turf landing strip that was just northeast of the campus.
Although Ham's Field was not a general aviation airport
it did serve as an air ambulance airport for the adjacent Bannock Memorial Hospital.
The date of construction of Ham's Field has not been determined.
It was not yet listed in The Airport Directory Company's 1937 Airports Directory
(courtesy of Bob Rambo).The earliest reference to the field which has been located
was in the Airport Directory Company's 1941 Airport Directory
(courtesy of Chris Kennedy).It described University Field as having 3 sod runways, with the longest being the 3,000' north/south strip.
The field was said to have a hangar & emergency fuel.
The April 1944 US Army/Navy Directory of Airfields
(courtesy of Ken Mercer)described "University (Ham's Field)" as having a 3,500' unpaved runway.
A 1947 photo of Ham's Field (from an ID State College yearbook, via Robert Pearson),
showing the hangar to the right & the turf runway extending away to the top-left.
University was still depicted as an auxiliary airfield on the November 1948 Pocatello Sectional chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
University Field was evidently closed at some point between 1948-54,
as it was no longer depicted at all on the October 1954 Pocatello Sectional chart
(according to Chris Kennedy).
According to Robert Pearson, the University's aviation school relocated to the Pocatello Regional Airport,
using Hangar #4 from the its old Army Airfield days.
Ham's Field was still depicted on a location map in the 1964 ID Aviation Facilities Directory (courtesy of Robert Pearson),
even though the airfield had apparently already been closed for a decade at that point.
The 1992 USGS aerial photo, overlaid by Robert Pearson with the outline of the former University Field runway.
A large field house has been built over the site of the former runway.
However, a former hangar remains standing at the site.
A July 2003 photo by Robert Pearson of the former University Field hangar which remains standing.
The site of Ham's Field is located east of the intersection of Memorial Drive & East Bonneville Street.
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Pocatello Municipal Airport / McDougall Field, Pocatello, ID
42.91 North / 112.54 West (North of Salt Lake City, UT)
The Pocatello Airport, as depicted on a 1930 road map (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The original commercial airport for the town of Pocatello was located less than two miles east-southeast
of what would later become the current Pocatello Regional Airport.
According to Robert Pearson, McDougall Field was built in 1928
on a location that was already informally used as an airport.
It was named after Harry Owens McDougall, a WW1 ace who died in an airshow in Pocatello.
A 1930 road map
(courtesy of Chris Kennedy)described the Pocatello Airport as consisting of a 5,000' x 2,640' rectangular landing area.
An aerial view looking southeast at the "Pocatello Municipal Airport",
from The Airport Directory Company's 1937 Airports Directory (courtesy of Bob Rambo).
It was described as having a sod landing area, measuring 3,500' x 2,700'.
The
Pocatello office of the National Weather Servicewas located at "Pocatello Municipal Airport, McDougall Field" from 1938-49.
An aerial view looking south at the "Pocatello Municipal Airport",
from The Airport Directory Company's 1941 Airports Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The field had gained a paved runway at some point between 1937-41,
as it was described as having a 4,300' asphalt east/west runway & a 3,400' "gravelled" north/south runway.
The runways at Pocatello were further lengthened by 1944,
as the 1944 US Army/Navy Directory of Airfields
(courtesy of Ken Mercer)described Pocatello Airport as having a 5,400' hard-surface runway.
It also indicated that Army & Navy operations were conducted from the field.
An undated photo of the McDougall terminal building while under construction, courtesy of Robert Pearson.
An undated photo of a Boeing 247 in front of the McDougall terminal building, courtesy of Robert Pearson.
A 1947 aerial view of McDougall Field, courtesy of Robert Pearson.
Robert Pearson recalled, "I became interested in old airports as a child growing up in Pocatello, ID.
I can remember the McDougall terminal building from that period.
It had a restaurant & small lobby on the first floor & a control tower was the second floor.
There were three hangars to the east of the terminal.
The restaurant was called The Pilot House;
they are still in business but not at the airport anymore.
There is a concrete pad behind the terminal where the airliners parked."
Robert Pearson found book which described McDougall Field,
"From Jennies to Jets: The History of Aviation in the Pocatello Area" by Kathy Albano.
"The book from the library refers to lengthening the main runway for the bigger planes, probably DC-3s."
Pocatello Municipal Airport, as depicted on the November 1948 Pocatello Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
At its height, the airport consisted of three paved runways (each with parallel taxiways):
5,400' Runway 6/24, 4,200' Runway 11/29, and 3,960' Runway 18/36.
According to Robert Pearson, McDougall Field was closed in 1952 when the much larger Pocatello Army Airfield
was closed by the military & obtained by the City of Pocatello to be used as a commercial airport.
At some point after its closure, Interstate 86 was built right through the center of the former airfield.
The northern portion of the north/south & northwest/southeast runways were broken up & the land returned to farming.
The western half of the east/west runway was the only runway portion to remain.
Robert Pearson recalled in 2003, "The airport was used as a drag strip for several years
but about 10 years age that operation was shut down when FMC (big factory just to the south) bought the property."
Drag racing historian Bret Kepner recalled in 2003,
"It was operated as Intermountain Dragway and hosted several large events in its life span.
At the time it was purchased, it was in such poor condition it wouldn't have been around much longer, anyway...
extremely rough deteriorating surface."
The 1992 USGS aerial photo, in which the outlines of the former runways are still barely apparent.
The 1992 USGS aerial photo, overlaid by Robert Pearson with the outline of the former McDougall Airport.
In the photo, slightly more than half of the former east/west runway still existed,
whereas Interstate 86 covers the eastern portion of the runway.
The "ghosted" outline of the other two runways were still barely recognizable in the fields north of the Interstate.
The foundations of several hangars were still perceptible as well.
A 2002 photo by Robert Pearson of the remains of the east/west runway of McDougall Airport.
A 2002 photo by Robert Pearson of the remains of the terminal building at McDougall Airport.
Robert Pearson visited the site of the former McDougall Field in 2002.
"I walked the entire field up to the interstate highway & the far eastern end in the intersection of the highway.
I found the far edge so I'm sure that is the runway end."
The site of McDougall Field is located south of Interstate 86, west of its intersection with Route 30.
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Floating Feather Airport, Eagle, ID
43.7 North / 116.31 West (Northwest of Boise, ID)
Floating Feather Airport,
as depicted on the December 1944 Boise Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
This airport apparently dated back to some point between 1937-44,
as it was not listed in The Airport Directory Company's 1937 Airports Directory
(courtesy of Bob Rambo).The earliest reference to Floating Feather Airport which has been located
was in the April 1944 US Army/Navy Directory of Airfields
(courtesy of Ken Mercer).It described the field as having a 3,800' unpaved runway.
The earliest depiction of an airfield at this site which has been located
was on the December 1944 Boise Sectional Chart
(courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The September 1949 Great Salt Lake World Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Donald Felton)
depicted Floating Feather Airport as having a 3,900' unpaved runway.
Floating Feather was still depicted as a public-use airport
on the 1967 Boise Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Floating Feather was still depicted on the 1979 USGS topo map,
but that does not necessarily prove that the field was still operating at that point.
It was depicted as having a single north/south runway.
At some point between 1967-91, Floating Feather apparently became a private field,
as that is how it was depicted on the 1991 Sectional Chart
(according to Robert Pearson).
In the last published FAA Airport/Facility Directory data,
Floating Feather Airport was described as having a single 3,000' dirt Runway 16/34,
and the owner was listed as Marion Case.
Floating Feather Airport was definitely closed at some point before 1998,
as the above 1998 USGS aerial photo shows that the property had been covered by a new housing development,
with not a trace remaining of the airfield.
The site of Floating Feather Airport is located northeast of the intersection
of Route 55 & East Floating Feather Road.
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Green Meadow Airport / Stone Airport / Major Airport /
Strawberry Glenn Airport (S65), Boise, ID
43.67 North / 116.29 West (Northwest of Downtown Boise, ID)
"Green Meadows" Airport, as depicted on the 1947 ID Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Bob Pearson).
This small former general aviation airport apparently went through four names throughout the course of its 3-decades.
The date of construction of the airport has not been determined,
but it was evidently established at some point between 1944-47,
as no airport at this location was depicted on the December 1944 Boise Sectional Chart
(courtesy of Chris Kennedy).The earliest depiction of an airfield at this site which has been located
was on the 1947 ID Aeronautical Chart
(courtesy of Bob Pearson),which labeled it as "Green Meadows" Airport.
The May 1948 Boise Sectional Chart
(courtesy of Chris Kennedy)depicted "Green Meadow" as a commercial or municipal airport.
It was apparently renamed "Major" Airport at some point between 1948-53,
as that is how it was labeled on the 1953 Boise Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It was depicted as having a 2,000' unpaved runway.
Wayne Hamilton recalled, "I remember it still being active when I was a kid in the 1960's.
Greg Poe, an aerobatic show pilot, received his initial training at Strawberry Glen according to his website."
At some point between 1953-67, the field was apparently renamed as "Stone" Airport,
as that is how it was listed in the 1967 Flight Guide (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted the field as having a single 3,200' Runway 9/27,
with three buildings along the northeast side of the field.
The field was also said to have helicopter activity.
The 1967 Boise Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted "Stone" Airport as having a single 2,400' paved runway.
At some point between 1967-71, the field was apparently renamed again, this time to "Strawberry Glenn Airport",
but its status was changed to a private airfield.
The 1971 ID Airport Directory (courtesy of Robert Pearson)
depicted Strawberry Glenn Airport as having a single 3,000' "soil/cement" runway, oriented northwest/southeast.
Three hangars were located north of the east end of the runway.
The field was described as a "helicopter repair station", operated by Helicopters Inc.
The 1977 Flight Guide (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted Strawberry Glenn as having a single 2,600' Runway 10/28.
The runway was still depicted on the 1979 USGS topo map,
but it was labeled simply as "Landing Strip",
which most likely indicates that the field was closed by that point.
Strawberry Glenn Airport was definitely closed by 1981,
as it was no longer depicted at all on the 1981 USGS topo map.
As seen in the above 1998 USGS aerial photo,
the site of the former Strawberry Glenn Airport had become completely covered over by homes,
with not a trace remaining of the airfield.
The site of Strawberry Glenn Airport is located northwest of the intersection
of North Strawberry Glenn Road & West Riverside Drive.
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43.64 North / 116.26 West (North of downtown Boise, ID)
A July 1946 aerial view of Bradley Field as it was nearing completion (courtesy of Robert Pearson).
According to a book located by Robert Pearson, Bradley Field was built by the Aircraft Service Company,
which had previously operated from College Field.
Due to expansion needs, in 1945 the Aircraft Service Company purchased the old Goodman Ranch on Highway 20,
approximately two miles northwest of Boise, for the purpose of building a replacement airport.
The new airport was named for Jack Bradley, President of the Aircraft Service Company.
Bradley Field was constructed on a portion of the site of the former Boise Barracks,
which was used during WW2 as an encampment & training center for the Idaho National Guard.
The post was closed in 1944 & converted to a Veteran's Hospital, in which capacity it still serves today.
Construction of Bradley's 3,000' x 400' runway was done by the Morrison Knudsen Company.
Completion of the initial construction at Bradley Field was made during the summer of 1946.
The earliest chart depiction of Bradley Field which has been located
was on the 1947 ID Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Bob Pearson).
The May 1948 Boise Sectional Chart
(courtesy of Chris Kennedy)depicted Bradley as a commercial or municipal airport.
An undated aerial view looking north at Bradley Airport (courtesy of Robert Pearson).
An undated photo of crowds looking at a Bell 47 helicopter
in front of a hangar of the Aircraft Service Company at Bradley Airport (courtesy of Robert Pearson).
The September 1949 Great Salt Lake World Aeronautical Chart
(courtesy of Donald Felton)depicted Bradley as having a 3,000' unpaved runway.
The 1953 Boise Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
described Bradley Field as having a 3,000' unpaved runway.
Bradley Field apparently gained a paved runway at some point between 1953-67,
as the 1967 Boise Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted the field as having a single 3,000' paved runway.
The 1971 ID Airport Directory (courtesy of Robert Pearson)
depicted Bradley Field as having a single 3,000' paved runway,
with a paved parallel taxiway along the southwest side.
A row of hangars was located along the southwest side of the taxiway,
and the "Skytel & restaurant" were located next to a paved apron.
The manager was James Sparks.
However, the end was near for Bradley Field,
as the remarks said, "Future status undetermined at this time.
Future expansion as a reliever airport."
Unfortunately, instead of being expanded, Bradley Field was closed in 1973.
Its last operator was Capital Flying Service.
The date of closure of Bradley Field has not been determined.
The 1979 USGS topo map did not give any indication that the field was abandoned,
but that is not a very reliable indication.
Bradley Field was definitely abandoned prior to 1992,
as the above 1992 USGS aerial photo showed that only the western & eastern portions of the runway & taxiway remained -
two streets (Sawyer Avenue & 52nd Street) had been built over the middle portion of the airfield.
What appear to be several small hangars also still remained erect, on the west side of the field.
The site of Bradley Field is located northwest of the intersection of West Chinden Bouldevard & 52nd Street.
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