Casper Airport
National Archives Record Group 69.3.1
Description
The Civil Works Administration (CWA) began and the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) completed improvement work at the former Wardwell Field airport. The airport, which was six miles north of Casper, is no longer extant; the former airport property is now the site of the town of Bar Nunn.
Casper Star-Tribune: “The largest of all work relief projects was the new airport and runways at Wardwell field, completed at a cost of $93,357, itemized as follows: CWA, $46,809; ERA, $12,710; county, $33,838. Wardwell field [is] six miles north on the Salt Creek highway … The project included construction of an ample, fully-modern hangar and air line headquarters, levelling and grading of flying field, and runways. These facilities are, for the time being, under lease by the Wyoming Air Service.
CWA project files: “Project was instituted to remodel & improve Wardwell Field located about 6 Mi. north of Casper, to the extent of lengthening, widening and grading runways, building new runways and erecting a completely new and modern hangar with toilet & rest rooms, waiting rooms, luncheon service, shop, living quarters for crew & weather equipment. Building is to be of concrete brick and steel and as nearly fireproof as possible. The field proper has been laid out to meet all government requirements & will be well marked and graded & runways are such as will enable practically any type of plane to land under almost any conceivable condition. The hangar itself will be the only one of its type in the State outside of Cheyenne.”
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Casper Airport
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Casper Airport
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Casper Airport
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Casper Airport under construction
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Casper Airport (caption)
Source notes
National Archives Record Group 69.3.1
Casper Star-Tribune, October 23, 1934 (pg. 1): https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/348129135/
"CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES COSTING $700,000 PROVE COMMUNITY ASSET IN 1934," Casper Star-Tribune, March 3, 1935 (pg. 27): https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/348227545/
KGAB: https://kgab.com/the-only-town-in-wyoming-that-was-built-on-top-of-an-airport/
Building Up Wyoming: Depression-Era Federal Projects in Wyoming, 1929–1943. Michael Cassity. Prepared for the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office ... (pp. 103-4).
https://www.michaelcassity.org/uploads/1/2/7/7/12777320/wyodepressionerafedprojects_mpdf.pdf (accessed Jul. 19, 2022)
Project originally submitted by Brent McKee and Evan Kalish on April 8, 2018.
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