Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields:
Southwestern Washington State
© 2002, © 2009 by Paul Freeman. Revised 12/25/09.
Evergreen Field (revised 12/25/09) - Ocean Shores Airport / Corning Field (revised 2/12/04) - Scholl's Airport (revised 12/25/09)
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Evergreen Field (59S), Vancouver, WA
45.62 North / 122.53 West (North of Portland, OR)
Evergreen Field, as depicted on the October 1948 Portland Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Evergreen Field was founded in 1946, according to an article on Aero-news.net.
It was described as “a place where a flyer could stop for small town hospitality,
kids could earn flight time washing planes, students could learn to fly in taildraggers or contemporary planes.”
The earliest depiction of Evergreen Field which has been located
was on the October 1948 Portland Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted Evergreen as having a 2,700' unpaved runway.
The September 1954 Portland Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
continued to depict Evergreen as having a 2,700' unpaved runway.
Charles Luce recalled, “Evergreen was a bucolic, quintessential grass strip
when I was a kid living in Vancouver in the early 1960s.
We used to ride our bikes out the field to watch planes take off & land.
At that time, Mill Plain road was a rather desolate 2-lane highway. Only a few cars to contend with.”
Evergreen Field was home to the Northwest Antique Airplane Club & Evergreen Fly-In since 1964,
according to an article on Aero-news.net.
The 1966 Washington Pilot's Guide (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted Evergreen Field as having a 2,700' turf Runway 10/28
and a second 2,100' gravel Runway to the south.
A row of T-hangars was depicted along the south side of the field.
The July 1969 Portland Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted Evergreen as having a 2,600' unpaved runway.
Evergreen Field gained a paved main runway & a crosswind grass runway at some point between 1969-71,
as the 1971 Washington Pilot's Guide (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted Evergreen as having a 2,600' Runway 10/28 (of which 2,300' was said to be blacktop),
along with a grass Runway 16/34.
Another row of T-hangars had also been added on the southwest corner of the field.
The 1995 USGS topo map depicted Evergreen Field
as having a single paved northwest/southeast runway (with a parallel taxiway),
along with an unpaved north/south runway.
A late 1990s photo of Evergreen Airport owner Wally Olsen, in front of the Evergreen Flying Service hangar (courtesy of Collin).
A May 2001 panoramic shot by Charles Luce of Evergreen Field.
A May 2001 photo by Charles Luce of the Evergreen Flying Service hangar.
The 2002 USGS aerial photo depicted Evergreen Field
as being a very well-used airport, with over 50 aircraft visible parked on the field.
An 8/17/02 photo by Russell Williams of a beautiful 1938 Ryan SCW in front of the Evergreen Flying Service hangar.
Unfortunately, the end for Evergreen Field came in 2006,
according to an article entitled “After 60 Years, Vancouver's Evergreen Field Shuts Down” on Aero-news.net.
The Northwest Antique Airplane Club held its final fly-in event at Evergreen in 2006,
“a bittersweet farewell party that saw over 250 guests & over 50 airplanes in attendance.
Until the flight school closed recently, Wally's original training fleet included several 1946 T-Crafts & a Cub -
and folks were welcome to wander around, poke a nose into an open hangar & say hello.
A multi-use business park - sporting with airport design cues -
will replace one of the last, great, old airports in the Vancouver-Portland area.
Somehow, that just don't seem right.”
In its last year of operation, the FAA Airport Facility Directory data for Evergreen Field
described it as having a 2,155' asphalt Runway 10L/28R
and a parallel 2,000' turf Runway 10R/28L.
The field was home to a total of 165 aircraft,
and it conducted an average of 186 takeoffs or landings per day.
A circa 2006 aerial view looking west at Evergreen Field,
showing 10 single-engine aircraft parked on the field.
According to Charles Luce, “As Vancouver & Camus grew towards each other,
Mill Plain boomed with big box stores & housing developments.
Evergreen survived only as long as Wally Olson owned it.
After he died, the Olson Family claimed it could no longer afford to keep the airport open,
which sounds plausible considering what insurance & taxes must have become.
Of course, I'm also sure they made a boodle selling this prime lot on Mill Plain.”
Evergreen Field was scheduled to close on July 18, 2006.
A 2007 photo by Joseph Kumanchik of the front of the Evergreen Flying Service hangar,
taken while “while the developers were waiting for plan approvals & proceeded with the demo[lition] work.”
A 2007 photo by Joseph Kumanchik of the rear of the Evergreen Flying Service hangar.
A 2007 photo by Joseph Kumanchik of the Evergreen Flying Service office.
Joseph Kumanchik reported in 2008, “The buildings are all gone now & development has begun.”
Evergreen Field is located northeast of the intersection of Southeast Mill Plain Boulevard & Southeast 136th Avenue.
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Scholl's Airport, Vancouver, WA
45.69 North / 122.54 West (North of Portland, OR)
Scholl Airport, as depicted on the September 1954 Portland Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
This former general aviation airport was apparently opened at some point between 1948-54,
as it was not depicted on the October 1948 Portland Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
The earliest depiction of Scholl Airport which has been located
was on the September 1954 Portland Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted Scholl as having a 2,300' unpaved runway.
Jeannie Yanko recalled, “I have so many wonderful memories of visiting my Uncle, Neil Scholl,
who had his home & airfield there when I visited beginning in the 1950's as a child.
He was always my favorite relative & I cherished the times my family visited him.
I used to wander all over that place and I even remember a turkey farm next door
where I got a great electric shock from the fence trying to get to them.”
The 1963 WA Airport Directory (courtesy of Ron Dupas)
depicted Scholl's Airport as having a single 3,800' turf east/west runway.
Five buildings (hangars?) were depicted on the northwest corner of the field.
The July 1969 Portland Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted "Scholl" as having a 3,300' unpaved runway.
An aerial view looking north at Scholl's Airport,
from the 1971 WA Airport directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
At least 7 light aircraft are visible on the west end of the field.
The 1971 WA Airport directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted Scholl's Airport as having a single 3,300' turf Runway 7/25.
Several buildings or hangars were clustered around the west end of the runway,
and a total of 7 light single-engine aircraft were visible on the field.
The manager was listed as Elvin Pluckett.
The 1972 Flight Guide (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted Scholl's Airport as having a single 2,890' Runway 7/25.
Skydiving was listed as being conducted from the field.
Scholl's Airport was still listed as an active airfield in the 1976 AOPA Airport Directory (according to Chris Kennedy).
Paul Feddema (who has lived 5 blocks away from Scholl's Airport for the past 15 years) reported in 2004,
"The airfield itself was fully functioning until 1992-93 when a new housing development went in
on the east side of the airfield, across 130th Avenue (on the [east] side, going north & south)."
The former runway was no longer depicted on the 1995 USGS topo map
(although the former airfield buildings were still depicted).
As seen in the 2000 USGS aerial photo, the runway remains intact at the site of Scholl's Airport,
with at least one closed-runway "X" symbol still visible in the middle of the runway.
The 2002 USGS aerial photo showed the site of Scholl's Airport to be unchanged from that depicted 2 years earlier,
with at least one closed-runway "X" symbol still visible in the middle of the runway.
Nearby resident Paul Feddema reported in 2004,
"The building to the southeast of the strip is a Minit-Mart,
the building immediately to the southwest of that is the former Airport Inn
with connecting hangar to the northeast of it where fuel, flight lessons, and skydiving were all advertised.
The hangar no longer connects through the building & is a distribution point for some kind of plumbing supply place.
The Airport Inn itself was even renamed, when the strip closed, as Rumors.
The strip itself functions as an access road for several businesses
that bought up the hangar space cheap & converted for their own uses.
Until a few years ago, and maybe even still,
the houses to the north of the airfield had their own private hangars
and I know of one that had a medium sized, all aluminum twin engine plane rotting in the backyard next to the former hangar.
It was weird considering the airfield had been closed for at least ten years by then."
A 2005 aerial photo by Collin Gyenes looking east at the former runway of Scholl's Airport.
A circa 2007 aerial view looking west at the west end of the former runway of Scholl's Airport & the former hangar.
The site of Scholl's Airport is located southeast of the intersection of Northeast 117th Avenue & Northeast 95th Street.
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Ocean Shores Airport / Corning Field (S26), Ocean Shores, WA
47 North / 124.16 West (Southwest of Seattle, WA)
Ocean Shores Airport, as depicted in the 1963 WA Airport Directory (courtesy of Ron Dupas).
This former general aviation airport was located on a narrow peninsula along the Pacific Coast,
within a very small plot of land within the town of Ocean Shores.
The date of construction of Ocean Shores Municipal is unknown.
It may have been established at some point between 1962-63,
as it was not listed among active airfields in the 1962 AOPA Airport Directory.
The earliest reference to the field which has been located
was in the 1963 WA Airport Directory (courtesy of Ron Dupas).
It depicted Ocean Shores Airport as having a single 2,800' oiled northwest/southeast runway.
A bowling alley & a café were depicted immediately adjacent to the north end of the runway,
but there were no hangars depicted.
At some point between 1963-67, Ocean Shores Airport was apparently renamed to Corning Field,
as that is how it was labeled on the 1967 Seattle Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss).
The Aerodromes table on the Sectional described Corning as having a single 2,700' gravel runway.
An aerial view looking north at Corning Field,
from the 1971 WA Airport directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
At some point between 1971-82, Corning Field was renamed to Ocean Shores Municipal Airport,
as that is how it was listed in the 1982 AOPA Airport Directory (courtesy of Ed Drury).
It was described as having a single 2,050' asphalt Runway 14/32,
and the operator was listed as Oceanaire.
Bob Bernsetin recalled, "I happen to have flown Skyhawks
during the period when Ocean Shores Municipal was still located in its original location."
He reported that in its later years, Ocean Shores Municipal Airport coexisted in close proximity with a golf course.
"In 1986, my last flight to Ocean Shores Municipal, the golf course was in operation already.
You landed amidst golfers whacking away.
Landing wasn't as much an issue as you might expect because the strip was at right angles to the coast
making the strong prevailing winds off the ocean the primary concern in my mind.
It would blow so hard as to make landings impossible on several attempts.
Finally making it in, the golfers were in my mind only as an afterthought.
Takeoff, on the other hand, was an entirely different matter.
I remember just at the point of roll crossing my fingers,
with a brief imagined moment of the golf ball striking my prop halfway down the runway.
Of course it didn't happen, and my trip home to Boeing field was as joyful as the rest of my flying career."
The location of this airfield, within the town of Ocean Shores,
was apparently the reason why it was replaced in 1986
by a new Ocean Shores Municipal Airport located at a less constrained site two miles to the northeast.
Bob Bernsetin recalled, "Imagine my surprise on a later vacation trip to Ocean Shores.
On a lark, I decided to visit the airport again, and only found a golf course!
I kept ignoring signs to the airport, that were obviously a mistake,
as I knew the airport had to be 'right here'!
Finally I went over to the new airport & saw it was indeed in a different place than I remembered.
I started to really wonder until I found evidence on the Internet of the decision to move the airport,
apparently very soon after I flew there."
By the time of the 1990 USGS aerial photo, the former airport had been completely replaced by a golf course,
but the former runway outline (oriented northwest/southeast) was still recognizable.
The airport site is bounded by Ocean Shores Boulevard on the west, Chance A La Mer on the north,
Minard Avenue on the east, and Ensign Avenue on the south.
Thanks to Glenn Powell for pointing out Ocean Shores Airport.
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