 |
       |
     |
SAND POINT NAVAL AIR STATION - History
| The dates of the
base are 1922 (first signed over to Navy) to 1995 (last part of base,
buildings) signed over to City of Seattle and UW for parks and
educational purposes. The property was turned over in 2 phases, the airfield in about 1976 and the last section, the buildings in 1995 so the airfield is gone but the buildings remain almost intact and are what we are trying to save with the historic district - See history links below first image. When the land was re-landscaped for Magnuson park and the NOAA complex, the remnants of the runways were pushed into huge piles to create the hills now seen. There was no hill where NOAA now exists, when the runways were being used - like at this view point. |
|
|
The
Native
American group possibly associated with the
"hloo-weelth-AHBSH"
peoples inhabited three longhouses on the shores of Wolf Bay,
immediately south of Sand
Point. Identified
the following places near or on the Sand Point peninsula: 1. Small prairie
(BEbqwa'bEks) near the current Windermere community 2. Mud
Lake
"wee-SAHL-pubsh" (Wisa'lpEbc) which may mean "plowed place"
3. Sand Point "sqwab"
(SqWsEb) 4.
Northern shore near
Pontiac Bay "T!uda'xEde" or "plant with small, inedible white
berries" 5.
Pontiac Bay,
"Sla'gwElagwEts" or "cedar bark where it grows" 6. Channel
connecting Mud Lake to Lake Washington "TCHAAHL-ko" (Tc!aa'Lqo) "hidden
water"
|
 |
.. The Stations History Book Pages ..      .. Published by  |
A VISIT TO THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES
SAND POINT HISTORY
FIRST SURVEYED ON AUGUST 29, 1855
FIRST SETTLER IS WILLIAM GOLDMYER ON SEPTEMBER 5, 1868
FIRST BUSINESS IS LEE SHIPYARD
NAVAL AIR STATION - 1920-1970
A Visit by CHARLES LINDBERGH
|
The ground breaking ceremony for the Sand Point Naval Air Station took place in June of 1920, but it wasn't until the late 1920s and early 1930s that the Naval Air Station became anything even resembling a working base. Although planes did fly to and from the Naval Air Station, it was somewhat less than a fully functional airport. There was only one 500 foot turf landing strip, the naval commander worked out of a farm house and cadets were billeted in the chicken house. In October 1926, the Carkeek family sold the original Carkeek Park (later a second park was named Carkeek Park) to King County, which in turn deeded the entire peninsula to the U.S. Navy for developing a Naval Air Station (approximately 413 acres). On Oct. 10, 1926, the field was officially designated Naval Air Station Sand Point. After that, construction sped up on the Naval Air Station. The Navy trucked in loads of fill and used the Works Project Administration (WPA) to fill in Mud Lake, the nearby marsh and Pontiac Bay. This newly flattened land was then turned into buildings, hangars and landing strips. Sand Point Naval Air Station reached its peak
population during World War II with over 7,000 military and civilian
personnel. During this time, numerous new buildings and landing strips
were built and the Naval Air Station expanded to its peak of 537.5
Magnusongiven to Seattle for use as a park. On May 29, 1979 it was
renamed the Warren G. Magnuson Park. |
Cutting Cobble-stone as memoriazed on Ramp No. 1
Sand Point Naval Air Station, June 14, 1938, 11:00AM
The painting on the dark hangar roof in the foreground says "NAS SEATTLE". North is to the right of the image.
One Register pilot cited Sand Point specifically as his home base. He was lieutenant Theodore J. Koenig.
Koenig flew 24-131, a deHavilland DH-4MB1. He carried passenger L.G. Hubble.
They were westbound from Biggs Field, El Paso, TX to Los Angeles, CA.
Koenig noted in the remarks column of the Register, "Then to Seattle, Wash".
Other military pilots (Army Air Corps) to cite Seattle were Ira Eaker and Oakley Kelly.
From: SEATTLE, WA AREA AIRFIELDS - Boeing field is on this link also.
Seattle Post Intellgencer Sunday Section..." Contributed by CARLSON, AVCM Wallace "Chuck or Smokey" Retired
Sources:
Sand Point Naval Air Station Photograph Collection
from University of Washington
Abandoned & Little Known Airfields
Magnuson Park History
GO TO: Museum Proposal
Rev. April 14, 2010
