Spokane Army Air Depot

History History >> Visiting our storied path Due to the economic depression imity to McChord Field and the though. Most noticeably opposed The Women Army Air Corps (WAAC) arrived at the Depot May 14, 1943. gripping the nation and Spokane in Boeing Plant, which would make were the farmers who lived and the 1930s, the Spokane Chamber of repairs and supplies for military made their livelihood on White Commerce felt they needed to find airplanes more accessible, Spokane Bluff Prairie, the land that was the a way to boost the local economy, was attractive because it was inland, proposed site for the depot. Eight which radiated with despair. They which made it less susceptible to air families took legal action to stop figured one of the best ways to attacks. Northern Pacific Railroad the sale of their land, but “opposing pump enthusiasm and dollars into stepped in, providing an extra ben- the government during wartime was Spokane Army the local economy was to attract a efit that made Spokane more desir- not looked upon favorably,” noted military installation to the area. able. They worked with Spokane city the authors of Sentinel of the Pacific A congressional party set out officials to create priority-shipping Northwest. Air Depot to tour Washington in 1935, in schedules and guaranteed equipment In the end, their legal action was an effort to find a location in the and line construction, ensuring the no match for the voices of the city Pacific Northwest in which to estab- depot would be able to quickly and leadership and of Congressman lish an Army Air Corps supply and efficiently move supplies to service Leavy. The depot was awarded to maintenance depot. According to the planes. Spokane on September 12, 1941. Fairchild AFB 1942-1982; Sentinel It wasn’t just voices in Spokane Before construction could begin, of the Pacific Northwest by the 92BWM History office, “Records indicate that one of the prime factors considered in selection of Spokane was the strategic location General Fairchild for the defense of Alaska.” The process of selection took several years, but the group soon narrowed their choices to Salt Lake City, Utah, and Spokane. A military presence would have been nothing new in Spokane. Fort George Wright, which was an old Army post north of the Spokane River, was established in 1892. Additionally, Felts Field and the later-built Spokane International Airport, served as airfields used by the military. photo courtesy of Library of Congress photo courtesy of Fairchild Airforce Base By 1940, the government’s interest in Salt Lake City had been N 1919, A MONTANA PILOT MADE AN Pan American Flyers receiving DFC certificates from President Calvin Coolidge on May 2, 1927, in The beginning of a military legacy replaced by an interest in Everett, Washington, D.C. General Muir S. Fairchild is third from the right. emergency landing in a field west of Spokane, Washington. This set up a competi- by Blythe Thimsen known as White Bluff Prairie. People flocked tion between two Washington cities. According to Sentinel of the Pacific from town to see the airplane, something Northwest, “Competition between that were rallying for the depot; though, the War Department had to that most at that time had never seen, staring the industrial and commercial west Congressman Charles M. Leavy, receive the title for the land, which from Spokane, was back in financially fell on the shoulders of at its strange shape and the daring pilot who and the agricultural east had long been an element in the growth Washington D.C. rallying on behalf the citizens of Spokane. The land had dipped through the sky in the contraption. While picture of the state of Washington. of his constituents, explaining to had to be provided to the govern- A woman checks aircraft Ia plane in that area was so rare it was reason for excite- The location of this defense complex Congress why a depot in Spokane ment free of charge, so it was up to parts on the depot’s was a great decision. the citizens of Spokane to purchase ment, airplanes soon became a regular sight on White became another area in which the assembly line . Fifteen Not everyone was excited to see the land for the depot. To purchase thousand tons of supplies interest of the factions conflicted.” were processed through Bluff Prairie, thanks to the arrival of the Spokane Army While Everett offered close prox- the possible arrival of the depot, 1,500 acres, the city needed to the depot each month. photo courtesy of Fairchild Airforce Base Air Depot. 88 SPOKANE CDA LIVING / June 2010 www.spokanecda.com SPOKANE CDA LIVING / June 2010 89 History History raise around $110,000. While that buildings were completed and were amount could have been a daunt- available for occupation by Army ing sum of money to raise during engineers. The depot was to be an economy that was slumped, the home to the Spokane Air Technical people of Spokane saw the benefit of Service Command (the maintenance having the depot here and were will- portion of the depot), and Spokane ing to put their money where their Air Material Command (the supply goals were. In two days they had portion). Although the newly con- raised $76,000, and by the end of structed depot would go through ten the week they had reached their goal, different names over the years, and with all of the money raised, plus was often called “Galena” by locals, nearly $15,000 extra. The city raised the first official name was Spokane $124,996.77. Army Air Depot. Knowing they would have to sell The depot not only provided an and abandon their land, the land- economic boost for workers, but for owners that had opposed the depot the city as well, as demonstrated grudgingly accepted a proposed offer in Sentinel of the Pacific Northwest. photo courtesy of Fairchild Airforce Base of $70 per acre. They were outraged “Unlike the usual defense industry when the final sale went through and which operated in the suburbs of A local artist puts his talents to use painting the nose of one of the B-29s. they only received $40 per acre. The cities and drew their workers from discrepancy came about because the its population, early Spokane Depot final sale included 2,400 acres, rather operations actually revived the than the 1,500 originally sought by economy of the inner city. Buildings the government. like the Cowley School and the photo courtesy of Fairchild Airforce Base photo courtesy of Fairchild Airforce Base The property was purchased by Kemp & Herbert Building, which Working to maintain and repair engines was a round-the-clock job Equally as busy as the maintenance side was the Spokane Air Material Command, public subscription by citizens of had been vacant for three years prior for the workers at the Spokane Air Technical Service Command, the where all of the supplies that were shipped overseas were first processesed. Spokane for a total of $101,078.66, to the arrival of the Service Area maintenance portion of the depot. in January 1942, and the title for the Command, were put back into use, land was officially transferred to the thus increasing their value. The pop- U.S. Government. ulation grew in the city and the tax Construction of the depot took base of the city increased monthly.” more than a year. At one point, The goal for the city was to bring in areas like aircraft maintenance and brought much activity to the depot. 2,500 workers were employed on the a military installation in order impressive; the turn-around time for other defense-oriented trades, and May 14, 1943, marked the arrival construction project. The workforce to pump money in to the local repairs was a point of pride for those there were not enough people trained of the first Women Army Air Corps erected 262 buildings, the largest of economy, and that was exactly what who worked at the depot. Aircraft in those professions. The government (WAAC) contingent, and on July 5, which was a 12-acre repair hanger. happened. As noted in Sentinel of were repaired and back in the air created a solution that was too good 1943, one day after Independence Construction also resulted in eight the Pacific Northwest, “Expectations within three days thanks to the skill, to pass up. Men and women could go Day, the first official aircraft to miles of railroad track traveling for the depot were overwhelmingly efficiency and pride taken by the to school to learn these trades, and land at the depot was a B-17 Flying throughout the depot and 12 ware- surpassed. The government spent employees at the depot. get paid $75 a month to be students. Fortress, flown by Brigadier General houses that were each larger than a more that $25 million in construc- While the depot was a spot to This had the same buying power as Jacob H. Rudolph, the commanding city block. tion of the installation; the civilian which injured aircraft came for $960 does today. When they graduat- officer for the depot. There was a great deal of admin- workforce was more than double the maintenance, it was also a supply ed, many of them could look forward In June 1943, the recently trained istrative work to be done before anticipated level; and the expected station from which aircraft sup- to jobs at the depot that paid $125 graduates of the aircraft mainte- the completion of the construction payroll of $8 million a year was plies could be sent anywhere in per month, which is equivalent to nance program put their skills to process; however, there were no com- nearly tripled by the fall of 1943.” the world.

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