Swan Island Airport

History

Oakley G. Kelly, the commanding officer at Pearson Airfield in Vancouver, Washington, was one of the first to seriously propose using Swan Island as an airfield. In 1926, the Port of Portland, assisted by the United States Postal Service (USPS), organized a committee to look for a location for a new airport in Portland. The group chose Swan Island which was a peninsula along the Willamette River. Objections over the airport started almost immediately, as postal workers who were using Pearson Airfield claimed Swan Island might flood. A plan was drawn up to raise the elevation of Swan Island to keep floodwater out. W. L. Thompson spearheaded the commission and was the project's chief engineer. James H. Polhemus was the Port of Portland's general manager and chief engineer at the time.

In a proposal to the Port of Portland, the west channel of the Willamette River next to Swan Island would have to be widened, and a dike built to keep high water out. In May 1926, the project extended its timeline, forcing the USPS to continue using Pearson Airfield in Vancouver to deliver mail to the city. Most of the accommodations for the USPS at Swan Island Municipal Airport opened in September 1926, but commercial services were still being readied. The airfield only took-up a fraction of the land on Swan Island. The other areas were cleared and leveled so industrial growth could take place. During its construction, the Port of Portland requested that the Swan Island Municipal Airport be the future site of the Pacific Coast Air Derby, which was approved.

Swan Island Municipal Airport was officially dedicated in September 1927 by Charles Lindbergh, who flew the Spirit of St. Louis onto the airstrip. Although construction at the field had not been entirely completed, most of the facilities like hangars and landing strips were finished. Adjacent to the airport was Rankin Airfield, which was a private strip owned by a local resident. Upon its completion, the airport cost US$557,073 (US$ adjusted for inflation). The official opening of the Swan Island Municipal Airport came on September 27, 1927, during the Pacific Coast Air Derby where six army planes performed for 10,000 paid spectators. A gravel runway was constructed in 1928, replacing the previous dirt runway. In 1929, Varney Air Lines started passenger services between Portland and Boise, Idaho, and later that year from Portland to Salt Lake City, Utah, and Portland to Pasco, Washington.

A United Airlines / Western Air Express Boeing 247D crashed on November 9, 1933, after a failed takeoff from Swan Island Municipal Airport. The passenger transport plane, which was carrying seven passengers and three crew, was destined for a stopover at The Dalles, Oregon, enroute to Medford, Oregon. The plane took off at night in dense fog and skidded off the runway, but was still able to climb. The pilots miscalculated their direction and crashed into the Tualatin Mountains west of the airport. Three passengers and one crew member were killed.

The Port of Portland and the Portland City Council held meetings in 1935 to investigate a possible renovation of the Swan Island Municipal Airport. They determined that it would not be cost effective to rebuild the airport to accommodate larger aircraft. By 1936, citizens were petitioning the city council to fund a larger airport at a higher elevation. I. E. Oakes, the Works Progress Administration director for Portland, announced in 1937 that he would look to secure US$627,781 (US$ adjusted for inflation) in funds from the federal government to build a new runway to accommodate large airlines. However, the federal government condemned the site and offered up funds to build a new airport.

After the Portland–Columbia Super Airport was constructed, the Swan Island Municipal Airport still operated, although in a diminished capacity. Flying students were banned from using the airport in their training programs due to the low altitude. The military removed their facilities from the airport and most commercial liners had moved their services to the new airport. During World War II, Swan Island was the location of a Kaiser shipyard where T2 tankers, Liberty ships, and Victory ships were produced in support of the war effort. After the war, the shipyard became the center for Port of Portland operations.

References

References

1. (24 January 1926). "Swan Island approved". The Oregonian.
2. (18 January 1926). "Swan Island urged as aviation field". The Oregonian.
3. (10 July 1926). "Advice on air port here being asked". The Oregonian.
4. (15 May 1926). "Swan Island site offered air mail". The Oregonian.
5. (11 September 1926). "Swan Island site ample". The Oregonian.
6. (14 November 1926). "Causeway feature important for Swan Island". The Oregonian.
7. (20 May 1926). "Air field plan alters". The Oregonian.
8. (5 September 1926). "Swan Island improved". The Oregonian.
9. (7 July 1927). "Swan Island selected". The Oregonian.
10. (11 September 1927). "Swan Island field ready for planes". The Oregonian.
11. (24 February 1929). "Toy balloons tell secrets of skies". The Oregonian.
12. (18 September 1927). "Fliers arrive in Spokane". The Oregonian.
13. (24 May 1928). "Greys harbor men's visit". The Oregonian.
14. (9 March 1929). "Direct air route to east to start". The Oregonian.
15. (8 May 1929). "Air services comes here". The Oregonian.
16. (10 November 1933). "Plane Crash Kills 4 Injures 6; Air Express Smashes Hill In Dense Fog". The Columbian.
17. (15 November 1933). "Airplane Crash Due To Fog And 'Skid' At Start". Medford Mail Tribune.
18. (11 December 1935). "Swan Island defended". The Oregonian.
19. (12 January 1936). "Campaign pushed for super airport". The Oregonian.
20. (24 October 1937). "Air line chiefs inspect airport". The Oregonian.
21. (8 May 1938). "Airport pledge held shattered". The Oregonian.
22. (3 August 1940). "Air training site shifted". The Oregonian.
23. Jones, Richard. (3 August 1941). "Old air field remains busy". The Oregonian.
24. Willingham, William F.. "Swan Island". Oregon Historical Society.