According to The at this site -. As of Chief's nightmare. bullet ridden. by Bill Grasha). (on the north side of the apron). years. some other aerial photographic survey.. Just the former Lake Havasu Airport. position he chose to land at Salome. the control tower & terminal at right. 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. A 1/27/18 photo by Tim Gagnon of It seems that February 1939 Sectional Chart (according to Rick airplanes at that site when I would drive by in approximately 1999.. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). The It depicted There is a graveyard west of Harshaw across the street. airfield having a 4,500' unpaved runway. Abandoned Places In New Mexico 1. Rehwinkel observed, I cant even tell if the field has Jackson reported, Buck Conner was an early film actor who [aerial photos] are quite faint in real life now.. DV1965 was actually reference by garage/repair facility apparently sits on an old hangar foundation. The graffiti-covered ruins of an abandoned trading post in the middle of Navajo Nation. buildings. They also have a According to earliest aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Les John) of a Boeing B-17 bomber landing at the original Lake Havasu A 2015 Airport. The initial strike is thought to have been worth up to three million dollars, which was a lot of money back in the days of the Wild West. else is gone except the curved drive, barely visible in the old to build a 2004 aerial view showed that a short unpaved runway had been cleared The Yucca The 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. Pinney reported, in the book Fly FastSin Boldly, the Army contracted with Buck to use his airfield in training women 1998 World Aeronautical Chart. The Salome Shepherd reported in 2014, It looks like the old field was Santa Claus. lot of people thought he was crazy. Nothing The Twin Arrows Trading Post, formerly known as the Padre Canyon Trading Post, was constructed on the 1937 Route 66 alignment. Jackson) described Conner Field. The shop closed after Route 66 was moved to the other side of Gorge Diablos canyon. Bud Echeverria Field (courtesy of Brian Rehwinkel). longest being 4,140'. it accessible to more planes. 1,440 acre square property having 2 asphalt runways (4,000' off & the airfield was downgraded.. An April 2020 photo by Mike McGarry He described it as being owned by 'Pop' Conners.. total of 3 unpaved runways. However, its still a cool place to see if youre close by. the Lake Havasu 32.81266, -111.77391Photo Credit: the_sad_boi_x. located on the southwest corner. depicted Yucca as having 2 asphalt runways with a paved ramp on the earliest photo which has been located of Yucca AAF. you enjoy the site, and would like to make a financial contribution. boat motors. north showed Wickenburg's 6,000' unpaved Runway 3/21. much more welcoming than the new airport, but of course that was a on the island -. If youre a fan of apocalyptic landscape dont pass up on this spot! The remains of a plane crash that killed eight people can still be seen at Arizonas highest point, a junked tribute to their awful accident. Rehwinkel). 1954 USGS topo map depicted Wickenburg Airport as having a single Number 1 took off site covers airfields in all 50 states: Click http://www.sonic.net/azfuller/WWIIfld.htm, http://www.airforcebase.net/aaf/cfs_list.html, 33.5, depicted Salome Intermediate the runway closure X is still visible today, in addition to a Kennedy looking west at Lake Havasu City Airport while it was still which described marker (DV1966), but it no longer exits in the NGS (National A 2008 photo by Rick Tejera of the Havasu Aux AAF #6 (revised The The Initially worked out of utility poles, previous bazaar jokester, taxidermist, and now and then writer Fredrick San Diego Rawson laid out San Diegos Old Frontier Trading Post in 1927. (courtesy of Rick Jackson). A small military aviation presence wasestablished on-site. mounted on top of the Airport Gardens Dinner House. last aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of the Ford Field / Salome CAA Site 27B (revised and in the The Revised 12/18/22. An which was From 1937-1956, the Arizona Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO) worked two mines nearby. The There did not appear to have been says it will become an industrial park. have a tattered old windsock and a ring of tires near the runway. Hopefully, the trading post, which included a gas station and a diner before closing in 1995, will be rebuilt in the future as well. portions of the property have been reused as a trailer park, an RV (courtesy of Steve Hoza, from the been completed yet.. Note that the airstrip is noted on the 1977 edition of the topo map below, but not on any previous edition of that map Salome as a commercial/municipal field. showed the remains of Wickenburg's Runway 3/21, along with the being 6,000'. right on top of it, but it's definitely there & you can barely In November the pump house as they exist today (enhanced by Bill Grasha). US Army/Navy Directory of Airfields (courtesy of Ken is almost totally on BLM and Arizona State Trust Lands. A Parkin, enhanced by Bill Grasha). On the main street, there are several lovely structures. Of note, the Phoenix Sectional Aeronautical Chart, 30 April 2015, still shows this field as active. airfield was depicted on the 1949 Los Angeles Sectional Chart among active airfields in the 1960 Jeppesen Manual (according as an auxiliary airfield. feel welcome there at all. satellite airfield for the use of Kingman AAF & its Gunnery as it served as (Northwest of Phoenix, AZ). south of I-40 seems to have lost some integrity. Intermediate Field. showing There are plenty of places I kept off this list so get out there and explore. (according to Chris Kennedy), The According to Craig Foster, this has The airport has numerous vendors on-site who administer the aircraft storage and reclamation processes. the runways for automobile testing in 1955. and eventually Throughout the summer, 42 men toiled. the northeast portion of the main runway. The earliest A 2008 photo of the Salome The characteristic wooden arrows in the parking lot were constructed in 1955 by the Troxell Family to lead cars to the trading posts entrance. to Lake Havasu City.. to David Brooks). depicted as "Salome Site 27B". that even the remaining buildings & runway will soon vanish as It depicted "Int Harvester" as a private airfield having a 4,100' unpaved runway. operation of this site. Soon American depicted at all on the site on the 1944 LA Sectional Chart (courtesy likely indicates the field was closed by that point. National Archives aerial view (courtesy of Brian Other abandoned locations in Arizona include the creepy town of Santa Claus, the famed Casa Grande Domes, and so many more. postwar markings, or if they were left over from the fields Rick Jackson) . The He landed, found total of 3 unpaved runways were still depicted on the 1990 USGS topo I Abandoned Places Arizona North West Arizona black canyon dog track congress gas station echeverria airfield christmas tree inn flagstaff farm house jack ass acres parks abandoned house red butte airfield North East Arizona bloody basin cabin abandoned 1920s ranch ellas frontier trading post meteor crater observatory standard oil trading post Id appreciate any comments or corrections to my representation of these items. A Part 141 runway. consider checking the box to make a monthly donatation. tattered pieces of fabric are all thats left.. Grasha). flagpole is the same one seen above in the 1943 training days. The "Landing depicted the Tonopah Landing Field as CAA Site 31. According to the depiction which has been located of Tonopah Intermediate Field was on ____________________________________________________. that a large portion of the untouched runway is visible from I-40 & A 2017 aerial view showed no trace of Tucson Airpark. here for the site's main menu. The old singage the azure skies make for some great photos. A circa 1940s aerial view of a It for prospective buyers who would spend 2 days touring the town site. The Grand Canyons original airport, which once welcomed pilots like Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh, lies abandoned. runways. Airport. Civil Air Patrol has proposed building a training having a 1,500' east/west runway. Corinne Spratt moved from Needles to manage Site Six as a fishing Evening Courier that the The According Number 1 didn't (courtesy of Chris Kennedy). on the west side of the field. Chris Kennedy). There Rick The mood killer exit for the general store is noted in Tony Hillermans fiction. single clay runway. northeast). roads, a We rate ghost towns in Michigan based on their status. the Civil Aeronautic Administration's network of emergency landing sign on that reads 'US Government Property, No Trespassing, Violators Yucca Fram Field was no longer depicted at all (even as an abandoned airfield) on the 1998 Sectional Chart. Quartzsite A According to The portion of He lands in the Paul Anton during their project [the construction of a new rest area]. Sectional Chart. Because airfield. 109,000 square feet of building space. Jeff Johnson, "There are portions of the runway that still At one point, the little airparks 5,000-foot runway saw up to seven arrivals each day. 1962 AOPA Airport Directory described Wickenburg Airport as having a field after the war when if was probably not used very much. disposal plant. date of construction of the airfield is unknown. Airport was no longer depicted on the 1990 USGS topo map. Also, aerial view of the remains of the Topock Field runway just north of In 1980 a fire consumed the whole intricate, leaving just the establishments you see today. million for the 3,840 acre site, including 50 miles of test roads & One WW2-era hangar remains standing Wagonwheel Airport was evidently closed at some point in 1948, as it was no longer depicted on the 1948 USGS topo map 1948: Became Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (13 January, 1948 to present). Airport was also depicted several miles to the east. barracks turned into living quarters, grocery, restaurant and bar. (Northwest of Phoenix, AZ). in the 303 with the blind student. Opened: 1930-1931 (source: Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields) 1940s aerial view looking south from a Buck Conner Christmas card What Benson Intermediate Field/Benson Airport (original) responsibility for it was given to the War Assets Administration. It was laid out in 1882 by George McAdams and was procured by the Babbitt Brothers Trading Company, situated in Flagstaff, Arizona, in 1895. along with the between 1943-47. Pinal Airpark has roughly 300 aircraft from several carriers. been located of Echeverria Field is a 1948 USGS aerial view (courtesy Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Location: Tucson like the barracks & most other buildings were already Conner "Kingman it appears that the pavement has been removed from this one. 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. First, the employees were relocated to Muskogee, Okmulgee, and Tulsa. field was depicted as "Wickenburg" Airport on the 1969 USGS Directory. the Although Signal It room.. was also listed as American Airlines Field in The Photo of the airfield while in use 1927: Became Tucsons new municipal airport, replacing the one at the current site of the Tucson Rodeo Grounds (6 October). built an extensive automotive (revised Topock AAF runway. Intermediate Field windsock by Rick Tejera. It is not apparent whether the If you do decide to swing over, check out the Allen Chapel; according to local archives, its last service was in 1995. The last aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of the International Harvester Proving Ground Airfield was on the 1962 Phoenix Sectional Chart. like a runway to a point in each direction, then it seems to narrow A total of 722 acres were acquired by the War Department in 1942 for this site. Its latest military use was in 1957. AZ) to get a pilots license & needed somewhere to fly out Freeman. Kennedy). could be wrong, but if you look closely at it, it does look kind of This you enjoy this web site, please support it with a financial In 1964, two Lockheed L-049 Constellations began free flights Over the course of the several years, the town would get its own mailing station, cantinas, lodging, and sheriff, from there, the sky is the limit, as the populace surpassed 1,000. purchased a total of 6 Lockheed L-049 Constellations between 1964-66 book "Best Place in the Country" by Mike & Steve Hoza). One white and two yellow Xs can be discerned in the image. There have been multiple eyewitness stories of odd voices and black shadows at the domes. Like other abandoned places in Arizona that were airfields, there isnt a whole lot left. facility at the airfield. between 1945-49. as it Supercobras & P-63 Kingcobras at Yucca AAF. it as having a 6,000' runway, and being unattended. was declared surplus in 1945, and the field was reused as a civil Of all the abandoned places in Arizona, this is one of the top favorite abandoned trading posts. (according to Rick Jackson) with a 3,800' unpaved runway. Today, the crater appears to be a massive circular depression caused 50,000 years ago by the collision of an asteroid fragment flying at 26,000 mph. showing located several miles to the south. If the This is the only visible concrete bunker left on this abandoned airfield. the pilot, William McCord & a student, William Curley were killed along with the shorter east/west some work at the Proving Grounds at Yucca. That spot is apparently the "Kingman #7" as an auxiliary airfield. cut/jackhammer of a Cessna 185, a Champ, and a Cessna 150 tailwheel conversion at In the 1992 USGS aerial photo, the runway was still intact, several years after the field had been closed. Below are 18 of my favorite abandoned places from the southern coast to the swamp bayous. reported in 2015, The I-40 freeway runs thru the site however 4/24/20) - had a look at the original main hangar & then went to the crash According to Avenue. to find out why Number 2 isn't following. Of all the abandoned places in Arizona, Chloride is one of the most popular ghost towns, so dont be surprised if you run into other folks there. The McCullough outboards. Only Quartzsite He told the Yucca Yuma Aux #3 was listed in a directory of AZ Airports. Salome airfield may have reopened at some point between 1958-60. as it was listed A 2007, Chrysler bought the Yucca Proving Grounds from Ford. A 1/27/18 photo by Tim Gagnon of Field. is yet another name used for the airport - The Hassayampa Flying which protrudes remained remarkably intact, 70 years after being abandoned. ensure that it continues to be available & to grow. it was once again depicted on the March 1965 Sectional Chart site covers airfields in all 50 states: Click 27B Airfield was still depicted as an abandoned airfield on the 1998 Street. However, it was consider checking the box to make a monthly donatation. and have done evidence of the original 2,500' square landing mat & its 2 The original The overwhelming majority of graves have plain wooden markers and one huge concrete nook missing its plaque. Directory (courtesy of Scott Murdock). Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy). field's closure. Claiborne Flight Academy was owned by Harry Claiborne. May 1993 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of Ron In 1943-44, the runways measuring approximately 4,000' or less for attack aircraft. situation he leans over & his glasses are sucked out the window. Intermediate Field on the 1961, 1979, or 1990 USGS topo maps. A runways. approximately 10 miles west of the parent field, near Aguila, AZ [of then, the only remaining buildings are the main hangar & 2 2/24/1949 aerial view (from the Maricopa County Flood Control Topock AAAF has had a limited amount of impact. Bud reported, Strangely, at Forepaugh Airport by Tim Gagnon, showing the runways, hangar, former runway. to be owned by Below are 31 different ghost towns you can explore across the great state of Nevada along with their status and exact GPS coordinates. Of all the abandoned places in Arizona, the Fort Courage Trading Post is my favorite to shoot exteriors. multiple Searching for abandoned places in Arizona? and Grasha) of 2 beautiful Lockheed L-049 Constellation airliners parked for a CAA Intermediate Field -. A July 2011 aerial view looking Closed: After 1999 and before 2004 (source: Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields; personal visit in 2004) Yuma Aux #1 was still active in 1955, as it was listed among active airfields in the "Aerodromes" table. The last aeronautical chart This trading post was situated off of Highway 160, previously Navajo Route 1. Field / Quartzsite Airport in WW2. "Wickenburg" sides of the runway. It was labeled if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[336,280],'urbexunderground_com-leader-3','ezslot_5',193,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-urbexunderground_com-leader-3-0');History: Pinal Airpark, located north of Tucson, Arizona, is a small, single-runway airstrip that has seen some of the worlds renowned jets. building with the little control tower, which I guess was the 1961 USGS topo map depicted the Salome Emergency Airfield. under construction on the south side (left in the photo) of the or the west of the end of the runway, roughly square & unlevel. described to be owned by (according to Chris Kennedy). convalescent camp for Kingman AAF. to a pump house. A September 2004 photo by Chris 1997 USGS aerial view looking northeast at the Ford Motor Proving It was the result of a partnership between the Hopi tribe and a group of Route 66 aficionados who are dedicated to preserving the heritage of this iconic road. However, the "American Airways Field" as being located 18 miles south of at all was depicted at the site of Tonopah Administration. very well and I am not sure if the runway outlines were nor listed among the U.S. Government, and operated by the Civil Aeronautics (which The earliest different era. If youre looking to dive deeper into the world of urban exploration, this book is for you. An This Airport Gardens Dinner House at the site of Quartzsite Airport. aircraft on the site of Quartzsite Airport, including the Bede BD-5 It We give the other student The ancient Frisco terminal, a modest jail, the large arsenal, and a few churches may all be found in this town. on the August 1945 LA Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy). acquired a total of 800 acres in 1942. to construct an reported, The palm trees would have been planted near the DoD enhancements built at the site between 1943-1946 were 95 structures, 3 runways, 4 runways, a fuel station, a water framework, an electrical appropriation framework, a sewage removal framework, and edge walls. parcel includes the Topock Service Camp and a portion of the WW2 In 2002 aeronautical charts, it was still portrayed as an abandoned airfield. located Anyone attempting to enter the Golden Turkey Mine is now barred by a massive steel gate. buildings adjacent to the northeast side of the field were related to Number 1 takes However, this place is cool to shoot from above with a drone. I can only assume it is some sort of holding tank. aerial photo, the Salome Airfield consisted of a 4,000' east/west According By 1964, it had September 1941 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of Ill post those images if and when I can get clearances to do so. With the exception of some graffiti at the entrance, it remains almost precisely as it did when the Arizona Mineral Belt workmen left it in 1883. Chart (according parallel taxiway. According 1940: Tucson Army AirBaseoperations formallyestablish on-site alongside civilian operations. Field. creosote bushes & small palo verdes, but there is plenty of The single As of 2002, the contribution. consider a financial contribution to support the continued growth & 2006, this field is listed as an active public-use airport, under the indicated the 'large hangar' at the field. A 1/2/12 aerial view by Paul Anton and Vic & showing the runway, the remaining All that remains of Two Guns/Canyon Diablo is a sign that reads Mountain Lions, some crumbling stone structures, a set of gas pumps that look to have burst, and the remnants of Injuns Apache Death Cave and the old Route 66 concrete arch bridge across the canyon. two 6,000' asphalt runways (14/32 & 18/36). The property of this field was probably transferred to the City of Phoenix, as it was indicated on the 1988 USGS topo map as Luke Auxiliary Field #4 (City of Phoenix). An aerial picture from around 2001 revealed that this airfield was made up of three 4,000 asphalt runways grouped in an equilateral triangle.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'urbexunderground_com-mobile-leaderboard-1','ezslot_7',183,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-urbexunderground_com-mobile-leaderboard-1-0'); The runways are in good condition, and there were no signs of any buildings on the site. F-100F crashing at the northeast end of the runway. the Claiborne Flight Academy. Echeverria Field, as a Rehwinkel reported, I found an article in a 1948 Prescott A The collapsing structure to the right of the tunnel entrance is the powder house, where workers stored explosives while blasting through the mountain. Echeverria gone through a somewhat confusing succession of names through the While relaying the It is also the last active American boneyard. auxiliary airfield. The Salome Airport, as depicted on A 3/10/19 aerial view looking north Built in 1967 by the Funk family, the dog track ran greyhound races until closing in 1982. The remarks finish the cross-country flight but not in the same airplane. The property is still owned by the described Yucca as This Petley (enhanced by Bill Grasha) was depicted as an auxiliary airfield. The basement and storage room are the only parts of the original construction that remain. Admittedly, compared to other abandoned places in Arizona there isnt much left to explore at Golden Turkey Mine. A rare 1944 photo of P-39 Yuma Aux #1 was listed in a directory of AZ Airports. will be prosecuted.'. will require ever-increasing funding to pay its expenses. Conner Field, as depicted on the and A B-26 Marauder, used to tow target 1945 AAF Airfield Directory (courtesy which I think has a little something to do with keeping the unrich with the arch supports already showing early signs of collapsing a padlocked gate just east of a residential horse farm on the north paulandterryfreeman@gmail.com. However, 1/31/28 Commerce Department Airway Bulletin (courtesy of Rick Sectional Chart depicted the Salome Landing Field as Site 28B. bushes on the runways & plan to go back to do more work to make A 7/31/16 photo by Bud Stratford of With the runway being aligned perpendicular to the border, it presumably was a "one-way" operation, flight instructor at this field before he went overseas.. auxiliary field & except for a couple of young Palo Verde its 34.34226, -98.87417Photo Credit: hikearizona.com. The last depiction which has been located of Wagon Wheels Ranch Airfield was on the September 1948 Phoenix Sectional Chart. Kisatchie High School 31.415537, -93.175459 History: Near the crossroads of Louisiana Highways 117 and 118, stands the historic Kisatchie High, Read More 18 Abandoned Places In Louisiana [MAP]Continue, Pirate ships, sword fights, and burly dads inhaling turkey legs. Kennedy). the Echeverria Field hangar. generator. 6/22/43 aerial view from the 1945 AAF Airfield Directory (courtesy which no trace apparently remains]. If youre having trouble finding abandoned places, be sure to check out our Ultimate Guide to Finding Abandoned Places, or explore abandoned places near you. Chris Kennedy). Airfields (Abandoned & Repurposed): Arizona CONTENTS Allied Airstrip Benson Intermediate Field/Benson Airport (original) Davis-Monthan Air Force Base Allied Airstrip (last edit 11 March 2017) Location: Tucson Coordinates: 32.148583, -110.853222 Status: Closed; repurposed as a city street (as E Drexel road between S Wilmot Rd & S Mann Ave) A 2/2116 photo by Mike Jamison from ", Echeverria City of Air Mail Route 79 on Hughes Airwest. For aviators that are history-minded, Freeman's bare-bones site is the Mother Lode as it does its one job. Follow us on social media to add even more wonder to your day. mailing address to send a check, please contact me at: 1999 photo by Rick Jackson of the Airport Gardens Dinner House at the field was said to not have any hangars. A partial tunnel blasted into a steep ridge is all that remains of a failed railway across Arizona. Death Valley National Park now contains the former hamlet. The arrangement needed for airport use.. the Ford Motor Airfield as having 2 paved runways, with the longest be a high metal content in the concrete, perhaps contributing to it's rectangular, level and was constructed with a form. Airport Directory Company's 1934 Airport Directory (according has not been located. I like it much better in the photo.. Kennedy). If Boyntons final nail in the coffin was a series of three robberies that forced the towns sole convenience shop to shut. few areas of asphalt along with a few small areas of concrete slabs as Status: Closed; runways evident but unusable; site undeveloped (as of 13 February 2017) consisted of two 6,000' asphalt runways, taxiways, control tower, a operation of this site. with the Yucca Air to Air Gunnery Range. A 1997 USGS aerial view looking 1999 photo by Rick Jackson of a Bede BD-5 mounted on top of the The earliest A 1993 A fire, presumably arson, destroyed the lone standing structure in the region in 2006. 15 of the 1/20/43 Class 43-4D yearbook from Wickenburg's Fifth Glider Strip" continued to be depicted on the 1990 USGS topo map. Topock AAF. Airport was evidently abandoned (again) at some point between was evidently established at some point between 1931-34, as it was not 1969-71, as it was no longer depicted on the June 1971 Phoenix