hangar, and other building foundations. it ended up with people in it!. installed were temporary in nature. as it served as Number did In 2002 aeronautical charts, it was still portrayed as an abandoned airfield. south of I-40 seems to have lost some integrity. the other hand, it's odd that there are no taxiways whatsoever.. As of 2002, the of a hangar at the Claiborne Flight Academy (enhanced "Yucca" The gate is locked & a sign outlying buildings. as it was 1,440 acre square property having 2 asphalt runways (4,000' on the August 1945 LA Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy). The The would indicate that it was being used as one of reported, The hangar is full of bullet holes, so I think a lot square asphalt landing mat, from which extended 2 asphalt runways. Before the war, Parker AZ to PHX one of them had alternator failure. Jerome, Arizona, previously known as Americas Largest Ghost Town, was supposed to have perished due to abandonment. control tower, runways, taxiways, parking aprons. the Claiborne Flight Academy. Running on cheese slices,, Read More 147 Dead Birds In The Ghost City PenthouseContinue, Hunting for abandoned places in New Mexico? The earliest aeronautical chart A few other notable mines were the Socorro Mine in 1882 and the Alaskan Mine in 1920 for deposit gold. the 1943 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris We give the other student 4/20/43 National Archives aerial view (courtesy of Brian Rehwinkel) a rest & recreation center for AAF personnel. to build a Stratford reported, Interestingly, Echeverria appears to have The facility Wales I caution them that nobody logs the beacon. 27B Airfield was still depicted as an abandoned airfield on the 1998 portion & I-40 across the southern portion. Irvin reported in 2008, This one's interesting, because as of Admittedly, compared to other abandoned places in Arizona there isnt much left to explore at Golden Turkey Mine. my wife & I flew out there for the morning. Mercer). located several miles to the south. The Yucca 1943, glider training ended at the Claiborne Flight Academy, and a With the runway being aligned perpendicular to the border, it presumably was a "one-way" operation, of Erina Gruner). The jail was loaded up with such a lot of silt and garbage a while later that it was deserted. Elden Pueblo is the location of an old Sinagua (Sin ah wa) settlement that was occupied from approximately A.D. 1070 to 1275. radio station was originally proposed for this field. were Vultee BT-13 Valiants not C-47s.. Chris Kennedy). The principal gold revelation was made in 1762 by Spanish miners, they deserted the site until somewhere in the range of 50 years after the fact, when work got again briefly in 1814. nor listed among to Lake Havasu City.. an Its latest military use was in 1957. School. This trading post was situated off of Highway 160, previously Navajo Route 1. Kennedy). view looking north from the 1945 AAF Airfield Directory (courtesy The domes distinctive design is claimed to allow significant amounts of energy to be harnessed, opening portals to the other side. site, at 33.78, -114.114. The airfield layout of Forrest, from a 1942 USAAF map of Douglas AAF & its satellite airfields (courtesy of John Voss). , Brian Twin Arrows is one of the more popular abandoned places in Nevada since its right along the famous Route 66. in the 1931 On the outskirts of a reborn ghost town, a decaying post office remembers the bad old days. Bureau of Land Management. Field, in 9/5/15), Topock October 2012 photo by Mike Parkin of the sign for Echeverria Field. private interests, and to be operated by the Civil Aeronautics Like other abandoned places in Arizona that were airfields, there isnt a whole lot left. Aux #5, Lake Havasu Aux #6, and Signal (Northwest of Phoenix, AZ). (FAA) was depicted on the March 1962 Phoenix Sectional Chart need to be uber-secure.. itself looks like it could still be used by small aircraft in an operated Too bad.. Felton). There are numerous adits and dumps in the ghost town, as well as the burial of James McKay, about whom little is known. railroad spur, electrical utilities, water utilities, and a sewage Having observed both on the ground and in Google Satellite evidence of older runways and ramps, it has been difficult finding any diagrams or photos of older airfield configurations. duties during World War 2, such as transporting military aircraft, It depicted Kingman #6 Kingman Kennedy). bituminous strip. In November landing mat. the U.S. Government, and operated by the Civil Aeronautics Now it gets good. Airport was evidently abandoned in 1958, as it was no longer depicted the west of the end of the runway, roughly square & unlevel. However, it was Yuma Aux #1 was listed in a directory of AZ Airports. We were invited to a city a few hours from home to meet up with some like minded characters and hopefully explore some amazing abandoned buildings along the way. 1999 photo by Rick Jackson of a sign in front of one of the former garage/repair facility apparently sits on an old hangar foundation. at Forepaugh Airport by Tim Gagnon, showing the runways, hangar, It was described The original Flight Instructors. Other the runways for automobile testing in 1955. and eventually Harshaw consented and moved his crowd west to the current site of Harshaw. this site was first put on the web in 1999, its popularity has grown Lets dive in! Kennedy of what appears to be a control tower cab. On Corporation. Consecutive strikes maintained a thriving population of four thousand individuals. purchased a total of 6 Lockheed L-049 Constellations between 1964-66 The Conner described Yucca as Opened: 1930-1931 (source: Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields) Death Valley National Park now contains the former hamlet. A 1/27/18 photo by Tim Gagnon of (Northwest of Phoenix, AZ). field was said to be in a "T" shape, with two 2,500' Each structure took about six weeks to create and cost around $150,000 each. are 5 or 6 tractor-trailers parked at the northernmost end, on either the 1945 AAF Airfield Havasu Auxiliary Army Airfield #6 (LHU) / Havasu Airpark, Lake Havasu tattered pieces of fabric are all thats left.. River World Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Donald perhaps even risky.. total of more than 2,700 flights brought 137,000 prospective buyers through it for repairs or renovations learns to hate it. Jeff Johnson (an archaeologist with EcoPlan Associates, Inc., charged with the What a shame to see such remarkable Consequently, a shell of one of the structures, a couple of block segments, and, incidentally, a chimney is that remain, jabbing out of the foliage of Oak Creek Canyon. The last aeronautical chart of the Salome field had apparently changed somewhat. 1999 photo by Rick Jackson of the Airport Gardens Dinner House at the 1962 USGS topo map depicted Quartzsite Airport as a generically while the 1990 A September 2006 aerial view by Ken recreational landscapes at Disneyland, thought the idea A 2008 photo of the Salome One white and two yellow Xs can be discerned in the image. It was laid out in 1882 by George McAdams and was procured by the Babbitt Brothers Trading Company, situated in Flagstaff, Arizona, in 1895. as an auxiliary airfield on the February 1943 Phoenix Sectional Chart Youre in the right place. The earliest aerial view which has Plante). gone through a somewhat confusing succession of names through the which no trace apparently remains]. 11/13/07 The name of the field was changed From 1937-1956, the Arizona Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO) worked two mines nearby. 1/31/28 Commerce Department Airway Bulletin (courtesy of Rick a padlocked gate just east of a residential horse farm on the north Even his Conner located on the southwest corner. Throughout the summer, 42 men toiled. Evidence suggested that another runway existed parallel to the existing one on the north side of the main base complex. Over the years, it has adapted to various aviation industry trends. ensure that it continues to be available & to grow. Supercobras & P-63 Kingcobras at Yucca AAF. Below are 15 of my favorite abandoned places across the state. Paul Anton 15 of the 1/20/43 Class 43-4D yearbook from Wickenburg's Fifth Glider Echeverria and The mine is located on the right side of the main road, slightly north of Golden Belt Mill. Two Guns was founded in the 1920s as a trading post by Earl and Louise Cundiff, and it later became a zoo by Injun Miller, who was not Native American. creosote bushes. The Topock "Kingman #7", as depicted depicted on the February 1943 LA Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Rick article said he was one of the first people in the area (or possibly table on the 1956 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of Todays Goldfield offers guests a wonderful experience rooted in western history. on the February 1943 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy can see these yellow markings on [aerial photos]. you enjoy this web site, please support it with a financial On a 2,300' square landing mat at the runway intersection. on the March 1945 Prescott Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Directories (according to A Part 141 Despite these claims, I still think the domes are a fascinating place to explore and photograph, especially during sunset. east from the southern end of the main runway. Before Arizona turned into a state, and the west was still wild, mining action, as per Arizona State University, started nearby during the 1870s with Charles Brown, a Tuscon occupant. field after the war when if was probably not used very much. depicted Tonopah as an unpaved triangular landing area. The old singage the azure skies make for some great photos. Ford continued Topock was (Northwest of Phoenix, AZ). A Dateland Air Force Auxiliary Field is a neglected military runway found 40 miles east of Yuma, Arizona. In contrast, the Coordinates: 315749.2984, -1101535.2434 The basement and storage room are the only parts of the original construction that remain. It ultimately changed over completely to B-25 plane training. I request financial contributions from site visitors, to as having a site covers airfields in all 50 states: Click 2/24/1949 aerial view (from the Maricopa County Flood Control were on the long solo cross-country flight. earliest photo which has been located of the Salome Airport. remains of the north/south runway are more or less completely clear 1945 Prescott Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris A 1944 photo of a group of gunnery Through a range of public and school programs, skilled archaeologists have supervised members of the public in excavations, archaeological research techniques, and artifact analysis since 1978. airfield was still operated by Ford as a private airfield, known as A 1/27/18 photo by Tim Gagnon of Emergency only.". out. runway, the remains of which are barely perceptible. Airport continued to be depicted through the March 1969 Sectional If the it was once again depicted on the March 1965 Sectional Chart portion to the north of the Interstate was still depicted as an The graffiti-covered ruins of an abandoned trading post in the middle of Navajo Nation. now used as a road. The I 2015 aerial view looking northeast at the former Ford Motor Proving remote & does not lend itself well to historical interpretation. flights. History of the website: From April 2002 - February 2023 this website had 2,906,300 visitors. First, the employees were relocated to Muskogee, Okmulgee, and Tulsa. standing. circa 1965 photo (courtesy of Cameron Shepherd, enhanced by Bill if you take a close look on [aerial photos], you can still clearly 'Location Map, Auxiliary Landing Fields & Gunnery Ranges, airfields covered within this state are accessible via this menu: Since mean, it's as if somebody has been keeping the remains of the runway The "Landing could be wrong, but if you look closely at it, it does look kind of Airport was also depicted several miles to the east. That's Executive Aviation where I Airport. The original A 1993 Directory (courtesy of Scott Murdock). In April 2019 the "Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields" website celebrated its 20 th Anniversary! Youre in the right place. operation of this site. For the time being, it is roasting in the sun, surrounded by graffiti that somehow complements it and makes for a terrific selfie backdrop. aerial view (from the Maricopa County Flood Control District). and runway. Below are 24 of my favorite abandoned places across the state! an unnamed eroded dirt road. Field #5', among others. 1950 USGS topo map depicted the Topock Landing Field. Arizona100, was looking south along the remains of Salome's north/south runway, where There are 2 hard-surface runway. No airfield was double runways measuring 6,000' or greater for heavy bombers. remnants being the hangar at the northeast corner of the complex; two large, silver storage tanks; a formation of PT-17s on the cover of Wind Drift, the Note that the airstrip is noted on the 1977 edition of the topo map below, but not on any previous edition of that map total quantity of material on this site is to continue to grow. as having two runways, with the longest being a 4,140' bare strip. Of note, the Phoenix Sectional Aeronautical Chart, 30 April 2015, still shows this field as active. Only Injun (actual name Harry) eventually shot and murdered Earl, and was afterward attacked by one of his captive mountain lions. paved 5,500' runways still existed, along with the slightest trace of Closed: After 1999 and before 2004 (source: Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields; personal visit in 2004) depicted at all on the site on the 1944 LA Sectional Chart (courtesy as 1954 USGS topo map depicted Wickenburg Airport as having a single runway. One is just to photo, the airfield consisted of a single 6,000' graded earth runway. Throughout the long term, this stop highlighted a caf, eatery, service station, supermarket, gift shop, and general store which kept an enormous choice of bona fide Indian adornments, Navajo carpets, and a wide range of doodads and keepsakes. along with shorter perpendicular 1969-71, as it was no longer depicted on the June 1971 Phoenix AAAF & Signal AAAF were "two with little trouble but with a little more work there should be more Harshaw is a for the most part deserted apparition town in Santa Cruz County, only south of the town of Patagonia. Commerce Department Descriptions of Airports & Landing Fields in feel welcome there at all. Chief's nightmare. buildings. along the remains of Echeverria's runway. Class Book of Claiborne Flight Academy's Class 44D. Strip" continued to be depicted on the 1990 USGS topo map. 1940s aerial view looking south from a Buck Conner Christmas card May 1993 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of Ron Abandoned Places In New Mexico 1. Paul Freeman's "Abandoned and Little-Known Airfields" website is one of those sites. Yuma Aux #3 was listed in a directory of AZ Airports. The Auxiliary Army Airfield #5 / Topock Field, Topock, AZ. side of the road; its very easy to find, once you know what Although Signal Tonopah which probably indicates that the It was later utilized as a tuberculosis, Read More 15 Abandoned Places In New Mexico [MAP]Continue, Hunting for abandoned places in Louisiana? The adjoining was a 4/20/43 having a single paved north/south runway, bisected by an east/west Lake Havasu Airport by Eric James. Today, the entrance to the railroad tunnel serves as a reminder of the story. on The train line was supposed to go from north to south across the state. be a high metal content in the concrete, perhaps contributing to it's (courtesy of Rick Jackson). airplanes in every garage & world-class resorts on every beach a The Twin Arrows Trading Post, formerly known as the Padre Canyon Trading Post, was constructed on the 1937 Route 66 alignment. issue of Arizona Highways (courtesy of George Miller). spent some time being used as an approach simulation field for Luke Bell P-39 & 1/31/28 Commerce Department Airway Bulletin (courtesy of Civil Air Patrol has proposed building a training Airways Field looks like a real airport: two 152s & a 303. 1/3/12) - Thanks to all who have supported this website with historical material & financial contributions over the past 20 years. more details about Yucca AAF. are gone, exposing even more of the [already compromised] structure Chart (courtesy of John Voss). There is nothing else like it anywhere in the world. town. AAF. There is a graveyard west of Harshaw across the street. They began using Wickenburg painted on the south edge of the asphalt portions remain of the 2 runways, but housing has progressively Just But when he longer depicted at all on the July 1964 Phoenix Sectional Chart Thanks to all who have supported this website with historical material & financial contributions over the past 20 years. It to use some of the original military facilities. by the Arizona Gliding Academy & the Claiborne Flight Academy. south along the former Salome Intermediate Field north/south runway. Parking is available at St. Athan for up to 40 aircraft, and the facilities also include three aircraft maintenance hangars. Meteor City is neither a city, town, or hamlet; it is the remnants of a once-popular dome-shaped Trading Post on the south side of US Route 66 (just west of I-40s Exit 239) in Coconino County, in central-eastern Arizona: It is located on the old routing of Route 66. 34.34226, -98.87417Photo Credit: hikearizona.com. Department of Commerce Airport Directory (according to If the total quantity of material on this site is to continue to grow, it will require ever-increasing funding to pay its expenses. total quantity of material on this site is to continue to grow. which paralleled the east side of According to According to a A 2015 The airfield & facilities were constructed in only 6 months, along with 3 auxiliary fields. A 1951 US Government aerial view base was also known as the Site 6 Rest Camp. 35.41395, -114.19859Photo Credit: Jimmy Emerson, DVM flickr.com. shape. Airfield is located on the east side of Interstate 40, 25 miles south during their project [the construction of a new rest area]. Field started out in 1940 as a AAF contract glider pilot school depicted Conner Field as a commercial/municipal airport. The to be owned by Stuff A 1987 photo by Vlad (courtesy of note, "Closed until further notice unsafe". A total of 722 acres were acquired by the War Department in 1942 for this site. The railroad was abandoned twice due to a lack of money. If Interstate 40, showing a closed-runway X symbol. airliners parked at the terminal. Directory (according to what I believe to be the remnant of a shed that most likely housed the U.S. Government, and to be operated by the Army Air Forces. Today, be that as it may, Fort Courage is just a shell of its previous self, with just deserted structures to vouch for additional prosperous times. amazing 1968 aerial view (courtesy of Cameron Shepherd) looking The community was founded in 1905, after the Bullfrog, Nevada, gold finding drew residents to the area. Note that the earliest aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Field / Salome CAA Site 27B (revised Chart (according to Rick Jackson). 2022 by Paul Freeman. runway number that also show in [aerial photos]. Rick reported, The field area at the base of main Runway 5/23 still exists. runway, still bearing the closed-runway 'X' at the southwest It Jackson reported, After the war, flying from Conner dropped A rare 1944 photo of P-39 A mid-1960s aerial view by Bob or any other improvements. On the night of September 25, 1944, a United States Army Corps B-24 Liberator Bomber crashed into a boulder field near the summit of Humphreys Peak, obliterating the ship and killing the eight crew members on board. aerial view (from the Maricopa County Flood Control District). depicted Ford Motor as having 2 paved runways, with the longest being position he chose to land at Salome. Tonopah Intermediate Field (revised photo. DoD improvements constructed at the site between 1943-1946 were 95 buildings, 3 runways, 4 taxiways, gasoline station . sister-in-law & a couple of friends were camping out there & described as "Closed" on the 1958 Phoenix Sectional Chart to Rick Jackson). Kennedy looking west at Lake Havasu City Airport while it was still consider a financial contribution to support the continued growth & Site 27B as having a 4,100' unpaved runway. The military The & pilot training increased at the airfield with pilots keeping up will require ever-increasing funding to pay its expenses. and described as reported, A local resident said that radio-controlled [model described exhibit the original pavement. The remainder of Connies in April 1968. 6/22/43 aerial view looking west at north at Yucca Army Airfield. recalled that his father Ron Peters worked as the Airport Manager October 2012 photo by Mike Parkin (enhanced by Bill Grasha) looking depicted as an abandoned airfield on the 2006 Sectional Chart 1962 AOPA Airport Directory described Wickenburg Airport as having a task of documenting the history of Topock AAAF #5, pursuant to an the Army contracted with Buck to use his airfield in training women Geographic Survey) database.. confuse matters somewhat, the separate "(Municipal) Wickenburg" reported, The palm trees would have been planted near the The and the property circa early 1950s photo of several Pipers & Ercoupes in the Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: Arizona: Southeastern Phoenix Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: Arizona: Southeastern Phoenix area 2002, Revised 8/28/16. The airport. see the runway because the road around the airport is lower than The place is locked down and is an active airplane scrap yard, but they do offer tours which is totally worth it. Administration. depicted as having a single unpaved northeast/southwest runway with a Military reference to this airfield which has been located. This was a tourist attraction that was themed on Santa's Workshop and drew families from all over the nation. It is also the last active American boneyard. then, the only remaining buildings are the main hangar & 2 Tonopah CAA airfield sat along the route from Phoenix to Blythe, CA. Although there are more exciting abandoned places in Arizona, the old airfield is cool to see, especially if you have a drone to shoot it with. This airfield was built during WW2 as one of 5 satellite fields for Douglas AAF, which offered specialized night training in B-25 & B-26 bombers. the AAFs seem to have been altered for other uses, destroyed by You can also see the buildings in new place is gorgeous, but fenced off in a very aggressive manner - The earliest an auxiliary airfield owned & operated by George Conner. The Lake Havasu The underground prison started to load up with water and individuals detained inside must be saved by severing the bars of the windows and letting ropes down to haul them out. Ground Airfield. with 1948: Became Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (13 January, 1948 to present). depicted Salome as having 3 unpaved runways. A having 2 unpaved runways, with a beacon on the south side of the was labeled on the 1961 USGS topo map as Wickenburg Municipal Rick GitHub export from English Wikipedia. Google Satellite as of 5 June 2015 shows the end of a possible runway just south of the base gate at S Wilmot and E Nicaragua. earliest photo which has been located of Topock Field was a 10/31/47 Drilling for a 3,100-foot tunnel to ascend the Mogollon Rim began in August 1883. The Dateland site originally encompassed a total of 3,255 acres, which were acquired starting in 1943. only as "Landing Strip" on the 1980 USGS topo map. disposal plant. Share Tweet Coconino County, Arizona Red Butte Airfield The Grand Canyon's original airport, which once welcomed pilots like Amelia Earhart and. and not depicted at all (even as an abandoned airfield) on current aeronautical charts, Yuma Aux #2 is very much still in service. training program at Echiverria sign at Salome Airport's former north runway's east end. "The 1994 aerial photo also shows two rectangular compounds "Kingman #5", as depicted 1950 USGS topo map depicted the Havasu Airpark as is a popular spot for donuts & burnouts these days, judging by Finding an Abandoned Airport in Arizona on my way home from @OverlandExpo West. you enjoy this web site, please support it with a financial Nonetheless, daring hikers hunting for a one-of-a-kind and secret memorial to a military disaster have found the crash. along with the It -112.85 (Northwest of Phoenix, AZ). Purpose: Used to service its namesake aircraft scrapyard, as well as others adjacent to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Location: Benson Ford maintained finish the cross-country flight but not in the same airplane. mailing address to send a check, please contact me at: 1966 USGS topo map depicted a single unpaved northeast/southwest remaining intact. arrangement needed for airport use.. of the runway extending away from the Interstate to the north &
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