Airport History

In the 1920's aircraft landed and took off from open fields. Landing speeds were so slow that they did not need runways. Thus names like Mines Field (now LAX), Mills Field (now SFO), Buchanan Field (Concord) came to be. Landing fields in our area were found at such places as Rio Del Mar, San Andreas, Palm Beach, one near Watsonville on Beach Road. One called Storms Field, on what is now called Freedom Blvd. near Mariposa Ave., was used by many barnstormers to sell rides as they flew from town to town.

view image

It was in early 1931 that Watsonville entered the aviation age. On May 9, 1931, Governor James "Sunny Jim" Rolph riding in a Stinson Monoplane piloted by W.W. Bendell made a low pass over the runway and cut a ribbon stretched across the field to officially open Watsonville's first airport.

view image

This was just over a year after the formation of "Watsonville Airport Inc.". Five thousand shares of stock were issued and bought by 400 "largely civic minded citizens" to purchase land to build an airport. An 85-acre site southwest of the city, near the junction of Highway 1 and Salinas road in Monterey County, was chosen for the airport because it was the only land available "at a reasonable price." It was to become "the busy center of flying activity" until 1941 when it became a US Navy facility.

view image