Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields:
Northeastern Utah
© 2002, © 2008 by Paul Freeman. Revised 5/25/08.
Alta Airpark (revised 9/8/06) - Carter's Sky Ranch / Draper Airport (revised 5/25/08) - Promontory Point Intermediate Field (revised 4/7/04)
(Original) Roosevelt Municipal (revised 9/21/08) - Thiokol Air Force Plant 78 (revised 12/24/03)
Tooele Municipal (revised 6/18/05) - Tremonton Municipal Airport (revised 8/5/07)
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(Original) Roosevelt Municipal Airport, Roosevelt, UT
40.32 North / 109.98 West (Northeast of Las Vegas, NV)
The original Roosevelt Municipal Airport, as depicted on the 1949 Salt Lake Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Photo of the airport while open has not been located.
The date of construction of the original Roosevelt Municipal Airport is unknown.
It was evidently built at some point between 1944-49,
as it was not listed among active airfields in the 1944 US Army/Navy Directory of Airfields (courtesy of Ken Mercer).
The earliest depiction of the field which has been located
was on the 1949 Salt Lake Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The 1962 AOPA Airport Directory described Roosevelt as having a single 3,600' bituminous Runway 13/31
The original Roosevelt Municipal Airport was depicted on the 1970 & 1977 USGS topo maps as an active airfield.
At some point between 1970-78, the original Roosevelt Municipal Airport
was evidently replaced by a newer & larger Municipal Airport to the southwest of the town.
The original Roosevelt Municipal Airport was still depicted on the 1980 USGS topo map,
but was labeled "Abandoned".
In the 1997 USGS aerial photo, the runway of the former airport still appeared to be in fairly decent condition.
It was not marked with any closed runway symbols at all.
A road led away to the east from the midpoint of the runway.
There did not appear to be any trace of any buildings at the site.
The original Roosevelt Municipal Airport was depicted as an abandoned airfield on 2003 aeronautical charts.
An August 2006 aerial view looking northwest showed the runway at the original Roosevelt Municipal Airport remained in decent shape.
The site of the airport is located northeast of the intersection
of North State Street & East 1200 North.
Thanks to Chris Kennedy for pointing out this airfield.
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Carter's Sky Ranch / Draper Airport, Draper, UT
40.54 North / 111.85 West (South of Salt Lake City, UT)
"Carter Sky Ranch", as depicted on the October 1955 Salt Lake City Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Photo of the airfield while open has not been located.
This former small general aviation airport was apparently established at some point between 1948-55,
as it was not yet depicted on the 1948 Salt Lake City Sectional Chart.
The earliest reference to this airport which has been located
was on the October 1955 Salt Lake City Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted "Carter Sky Ranch" as having a 4,800' unpaved runway.
The 1962 AOPA Airport Directory described "Carter Sky Ranch" as having 3 gravel runways,
with the longest being the 4,800' Runway 16/34.
The field was said to offer fuel, repairs, tie downs, and charter.
The operator was listed as Carter Air Service (a Piper dealer).
The field was still depicted as "Carter Sky Ranch"
on the October 1964 F-16 Operational Navigation Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
By the next year, it had evidently been renamed "Draper Airport",
as that is how it was labeled on the May 1965 Salt Lake City Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It was still labeled as "Draper" Airport on the 1970 USGS topo map.
The 1975 USGS topo map labeled the field once again as "Carters Sky Ranch",
and depicted 3 runways.
Carter's Sky Ranch apparently closed at some point between 1965-77,
as it appeared to be abandoned in a 1977 aerial photo,
and residential construction was approaching from the east.
The runways were still intact,
but there did not appear to be any buildings remaining standing at the site of the airport.
The specific reason for the field's closure has not been determined,
but it was presumably squeezed out of business by surrounding residential development.
By the time of the 1997 USGS aerial photo,
the site of Carter's Sky Ranch has been densely developed with housing,
with no apparent remaining trace of the former airport.
As seen in the 2003 USGS aerial photo,
the site of Carter's Sky Ranch has been densely developed with housing,
and it does not appear as if any trace of the former airport remains.
The site of the former Carter's Sky Ranch is located east of the intersection of Hidden Valley Drive & South 1300 East.
Thanks to Brett Despain for pointing out this airfield.
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40.59 North / 111.84 West (South of Salt Lake City, UT)
Alta Airpark, as depicted on the 1948 Salt Lake Sectional Chart.
Photo of the airfield while open has not been located.
The date of construction of this former small general aviation airport has not been determined.
Alta Airpark was evidently established at some point between 1945-48,
as it was not depicted on the February 1945 Salt Lake City Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
The earliest depiction of the field which has been located
was on the 1948 Salt Lake City Sectional Chart,
which depicted Alta as a commercial or municipal airport.
Mike Howe recalled "joining a flying Club based at the old Alta Airpark while still in high school.
In 1958 there was nothing out here, except for the old airport on top of a hill with gullies at both ends.
It still conjures up fond memories of youth, the old hangar, leather couch, Coke machine
and of course the Sectional charts pasted to the wall with a string to plot trips to many exotic places.
I took lessons in an old Luscombe 8A & soloed just about my 15th birthday
and had my private while still in High school & spent all my time getting friends to buy gas for a ride."
The 1962 AOPA Airport Directory described "Alta Air Park" as having a single 2,700' gravel Runway 3/21.
The field was said to offer fuel, repairs, hangars, tie downs, and charter.
The operator was Curtis Ellsworth (an Aircoupe dealer).
Alta Airpark, as depicted on the May 1965 Salt Lake City Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Alta Airpark was listed as the location of a 1965 accident
which resulted in substantial damage to a Stinson 108 due to a ground loop.
The 1967 Flight Guide (courtesy of Chris Kennedy) depicted Alta Airpark
as having a single 2,230' Runway 17/35 with a parallel taxiway on the west side of the runway.
A ramp on the west side of the field had 2 buildings (hangars?) along the north side of the ramp.
The field was said to be attended during daytime,
and to conduct skydiving operations.
The 1972 Flight Guide (courtesy of Chris Kennedy) showed that Alta's former Runway 17/35 had been closed,
and replaced by a new 2,300' Runway 16/34.
The field was still described as conducting skydiving operations.
Alta Airpark apparently closed at some point between 1972-75,
as it was no longer depicted at all on the 1975 USGS topo map.
According to Brett Despain, Alta Airpark "closed in the late 1970s."
Cory Curtis recalled, “I moved to Sandy UT in 1976.
Our 1st house was just 5 streets west of Piper Lane.
Piper Lane was the last street east before the old airstrip.
Everything east of Piper Lane was just field & sagebrush.
It stayed that way until the late 1980s.
Cameo Park subdivision (east of 1700 E) was just built when we moved in.
It was built after the Airport had closed.
I never saw the airport in use or any of the buildings. I think it closed between 1972-74.
As a kid in 4th grade we would ride our bikes to the landing strip. There wasn’t much left of it.
My friend would talk of how he would watch the skydivers & see the planes take off.
They didn’t build over top the airfield until the late 1980s.
Cessna Circle is at the north of Glider Lane,
though this circle was built in the 1980s many years after the airport was closed.”
The 1997 USGS aerial photo showed that the site of the former Alta Airpark had been densely developed with housing,
and not a trace of the former airport appeared to remain.
As seen in the 2003 USGS aerial photo,
the site of the former Alta Airpark had been densely developed with housing,
with not a trace of the former airport remaining.
Mike Howe recalled in 2004, "It was located just a few blocks from my present business in Sandy.
I can look from the roof & see about where it used to be.
It is now all subdivision & homes & no one would have known it was there
save for a few street signs with names like Cessna Circle & Piper Way."
The site of the former Alta Airpark is located at the intersection of Richard Lane & Newcastle Drive.
Thanks to Brett Despain for pointing out this airfield.
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Promontory Point Intermediate Field, Promontory Point, UT
41.21 North / 112.44 West (Northwest of Salt Lake City, UT)
Promontory Point Intermediate Field, as depicted on a May 1930 Airway Map (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Photo of the airfield while open has not been located.
The location of "Promontory Point" was made famous in 1869,
when the "Golden Spike" was driven to join the Central Pacific & Union Pacific Railroads,
forming a transcontinental link spanning the United States.
The location of the railroad linkage was actually 30 miles north of Promontory Point.
At some point in the 1920s or 1930s, an airfield was constructed on the very tip of Promontory Point,
which juts out into the Great Salt Lake.
The Promontory Point airfield was one of the Department of Commerce's network of Intermediate Fields,
which were constructed in the 1920s & 1930s along airways between major cities.
They were intended for emergency use by commercial aircraft.
The earliest reference to the Promontory Point airfield which has been located
was on a May 1930 Airway Map (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
A 1933 Department of Commerce Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
described Promontory Point as Site 3 along the Salt Lake - El Paso Airway.
It was described as consisting of a 3,000' x 1,410' rectangular sod field,
with boundary & approach lights, and a rotating beacon.
The Promontory Point airfield was still depicted as Site 3 on the 1948 Salt Lake City Sectional Chart.
It was labeled "Promontory Point (CAA)" on the October 1955 Salt Lake City Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy),
and described as having a single 3,000' sandy runway.
The 1960 Jeppesen Airway Manual (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted the "Promontory Point FAA" airfield as having a single 3,000' unpaved runway,
along with 2 small buildings on the northeast corner of the field.
The status of the Promontory Point airfield apparently changed to a private field at some point between 1955-65,
as that is how it was depicted on the May 1965 Salt Lake Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It was described as having a single 3,000' dirt runway.
The 1970 USGS topo map still labeled the airfield as "Promontory Point (FAA)",
but the field had probably ceased to have any connection to the FAA years before then.
A single east/west runway was depicted on the 1983 USGS topo map,
but it was labeled simply as "Landing Strip", which most likely indicates that the field was abandoned by that point.
By the time of the 1991 USGS topo map, the runway was no longer depicted at all.
As seen in the 1993 USGS aerial photo,
the outline of the single runway was still quite apparent at Promontory Point,
along with what appears to have been a segmented circle indicator, just south of the runway midpoint.
There was no sign of any buildings at the site.
However, Brent Watson reported in 2005, “The Promontory Point airstrip...
is used on an annual basis during the brine shrimp harvesting season.
During the annual harvest there are 6-10 aircraft stationed there.
There is usually a temporary fuel tank, and there is also housing for the pilots & shrimping crews
(there is also a dock nearby where the shrimping boats are launched & tied off).
The harvest is in the fall, around the first of October, and can run through January.
The length of the season is determined by the count of available cists (eggs).”
The Promontory Point airfield is located south of East Promontory Road & north of Southern Pacific Railroad. ____________________________________________________
Thiokol Air Force Plant 78 Airfield (UT23), Howell, UT
41.72 North / 112.45 West (Northwest of Salt Lake City, UT)
Thiokol Airfield, as depicted on the 1965 Salt Lake Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Photo of the airfield while open has not been located.
This former private airfield is located adjacent to a Thiokol rocket motor production facility,
which is designated Air Force Plant 78.
Air Force Plant 78 covers 20,000 acres, and has 2.5 million square feet of floor space.
The industrial facility was completed in 1962,
and was designed for the manufacture of Minuteman first stage rocket motors.
The combined production of AFP 78 & the adjacent Thiokol plant reached a peak manufacturing rate in 1963.
At the end of the Minuteman project, the USAF attempted to sell the plant to Morton Thiokol,
but the 2 sides could not agree on a price.
As of 1986, the facilities supported the MX Peacekeeper, the Trident II & Standard Missile programs.
Thiokol finally purchased the former Air Force Plant 78 complex in 1995.
NASA employee Larry Nemecek recalled, "The Thiokol Airfield was originally built by the USAF
as part of the Air Force Plant 78 Complex in the late 1950s or early 1960s.
Aircraft that typically used the field were cabin class twins such as Cessna 421s & King Airs
as well as a few corporate jets.
It is rumored that some heavy Air Force C-121 [Lockheed Constellations] also landed there."
The Thiokol airfield was not listed among active airfields in the 1962 AOPA Airport Directory.
The earliest reference to the field which has been located
was on the 1965 Salt Lake Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted "Thiokol" as a private airfield having a single 5,000' paved runway.
The 1970 USGS topo map depicted the airfield,
and labeled the area bordering the airfield to the east as "Air Force Plant 78".
The 1982 AOPA Airport Directory (courtesy of Ed Drury)
described Thiokol airfield as having a single 5,000' asphalt Runway 15/33.
The remarks said, "Private. Closed to public."
Larry Nemecek said "Thiokol bought the entire Plant 78 complex from the Air Force in the mid-1990s.
Thiokol subsequently decided that it was not cost-effective
to upgrade/repair/maintain the airfield for their corporate jet use
so it was closed at that time.
Corporate Management decided that it was more cost effective to move their aviation assets to Ogden Airport
than to repair & upgrade the strip to handle corporate jets on high density altitude days.
Ogden is also more convenient to travelers than the 50 mile drive to the Thiokol main plant."
In the 1993 USGS aerial photo, closed-runway "X" symbols were visible on both ends of the runway.
A small paved ramp was located along the east side of the runway,
but there were no aircraft or hangars.
The Thiokol Airfield was depicted as an abandoned airfield on the 1998 World Aeronautical Chart.
Larry Nemecek observed in 2003,
"It is currently being used as a storage pad to store various large containers."
The airfield is located south of the intersection of Route 83 & North 18000 West Street.
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Tremonton Municipal Airport (U27), Tremonton, UT
41.72 North / 112.18 West (North of Salt Lake City, UT)
Tremonton Municipal Airport,
as depicted on the September 1949 Great Salt Lake World Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Donald Felton).
Tremonton Municipal Airport opened in 1949.
The earliest depiction of the field which has been located
was on the September 1949 Great Salt Lake World Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Donald Felton).
It described Tremonton as having a 3,700' hard-surface runway.
The 1955 Salt Lake City Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy)
described Tremonton as having a single 3,720' bituminous runway.
The 1962 AOPA Airport Directory described Tremonton Municipal as having a single 3,445' bituminous Runway 2/20.
Tremonton Municipal Airport, as depicted on the 1965 Salt Lake Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The 1982 AOPA Airport Directory (courtesy of Ed Drury)
described Tremonton Municipal as having a single 3,445' asphalt Runway 17/35.
The operators were listed as Airmotive Service & Basin Flying Service Inc.
Tremonton Municipal Airport was still depicted as an active airfield on the 1991 USGS topo map.
In the 1993 USGS aerial photo, the airport did not appear very busy -
there was only one single-engine aircraft visible on the ramp at the southwest corner.
Several small hangars lined the west side of the ramp.
According to the Experimental Aircraft Association's Salt Lake City Chapter newsletter (via Chris Kennedy),
Tremonton Municipal Airport closed on 12/31/99.
In the words of Andy Venable, "Wayne Larson, airport manager & owner of Airmotive Service
hosted a fly-in party for everyone to say their good-byes to the 50-year-old airport.
At one time, there were ten or more Super Cubs based on the field
and just about every one of them was used for the sheep business.
Either going after the pesky coyotes killing their lambs
or carrying groceries out to the herders in the hinterlands of Box Elder County,
or just locating stray cows & sheep.
Those days have pretty much passed on,
but the airport survived & served the community well in many other areas,
such as aerial spraying, until now."
"A lifetime of memories for hundreds of people & a whole new generation are gone.
This is sad for all general aviation.
Why did it close?
Elected city officials decided that a parking lot for the rodeo grounds
is more important to the well being of Tremonton City than the airport."
Wayne Larson relocated Airmotive Service to the Brigham City Airport.
Tremonton Municipal Airport was depicted as an abandoned airfield on 2003 aeronautical charts.
A circa 2006 aerial view (courtesy of David Brooks)
showed that the northern half of the Tremonton runway had been removed to make way for a golf course.
The southern half of the runway remained intact, marked with a yellow “X”,
and at least one hangar remained standing, with “Closed” painted in yellow letters on its roof.
The site of the airport is located northwest of the intersection of Route 30 & North 6800 West.
Thanks to Chris Kennedy for pointing out this airfield.
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Tooele Municipal Airport (U26), Tooele, UT
40.52 North / 112.33 West (Southwest of Salt Lake City, UT)
Tooele Municipal Airport, as depicted on the 1948 Salt Lake Sectional Chart.
Photo of the airfield while open has not been located.
This former municipal airport was adjacent to the Army's Tooele Ordnance Depot.
The date of construction of Tooele Municipal Airport is unknown.
The earliest reference to the field which has been located
is on the 1948 Salt Lake Sectional Chart,
which depicted Tooele as a municipal or commercial airport.
The September 1949 Great Salt Lake World Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Donald Felton)
depicted Tooele as having a 3,800' unpaved runway.
Tooele apparently gained a paved runway at some point between 1949-62,
as the 1962 AOPA Airport Directory described the field as having a single 4,200' paved runway.
The operator was listed as Tooele Air Service.
Tooele was listed with a similar description in the 1982 AOPA Airport Directory (courtesy of Ed Drury).
According to Chris Kennedy, Tooele Municipal was listed in the 1989 Airport Facility Directory.
The remarks said, "Unattended. Parachute jumping. Cracks; chips & weeds on Rwy 36 & ramp."
Tooele Municipal was closed at some point after 1989,
when it was replaced by the newer Bolinder Tooele Valley Airport,
several miles to the north.
In the 1999 USGS aerial photo, the airfield consisted of a single 4,200' runway,
A small paved ramp east of the northern end of the runway, and 5 small hangars.
A lone single engine aircraft was visible parked on the ramp.
Tacoma White reported in 2003, "I'd give you an update on the old Tooele Municipal Airport: it's very easy to find.
If you drive west on 700 South, and keep going after it turns to dirt, you will run right into it.
If memory serves, it is either owned or just used by a guy who owns a construction company.
The strip is due west of my house & during the winter I taught my wife how to correct skids there.
Nothing really happens there, though my wife says a plane landed there
when she was walking near it about a year ago.
Still in OK shape, has some ruts dug in it that were filled in pretty good a while back.
It looks shorter than the claimed 4,000' though."
A 2005 photo by Keith Wood, looking north along the closed runway at Tooele.
“There are residential areas [to the] north.”
A 2005 photo by Keith Wood. “Note the way the houses have built in close to the hangars, which are now used for storage.”
A 2005 photo by Keith Wood, looking south along the closed runway at Tooele.
“It's pretty much empty (for the time being) looking south.”
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