Friendly in Eugene in Lane County, Oregon — The American West (Northwest)

First municipal airport on the west coast

Photographed by Ted Welker, April 24, 2024

1. First municipal airport on the west coast Marker

Inscription. On this location was established the first municipal airport on the West Coast, circa 1919. On March 18, 1924 the first around-the-world flight of four U.S. Army Douglas bi-planes stopped here enroute to Seattle, said to be the "origin" of the flight.

Erected 1986 by Eugene Airport Commission.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Air & Space. A significant historical date for this entry is March 18, 1924.

Location. 44° 2.197′ N, 123° 6.989′ W. Marker is in Eugene, Oregon, in Lane County. It is in Friendly. It is on Fillmore Street north of West 22nd Avenue, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1545 W 22nd Avenue, Eugene OR 97405, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast,

in the Pacific Northwest,

and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor.

Globally, it is in North America,

in the Cascade Range,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Other nearby markers. At least

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8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Site of First Cabin in Eugene (approx. 1.7 miles away); Shelton – McMurphey House (approx. 1.8 miles away); Patterson Home Site / Animal House (approx. 1.9 miles away); A.W. and Amanda Patterson Home (approx. 1.9 miles away); Eugene Skinner Settled Here in 1846 (approx. 1.9 miles away); Genesis of a City (approx. 1.9 miles away); The Applegate Trail (approx. 1.9 miles away); Ellis F. Lawrence (approx. 2.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Eugene.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Eugene Skinner (was approx. 1.8 miles away but has been confirmed missing).

Also see . . . Eugene Airport (Wikipedia).

History: At the request of Mahlon Sweet, the original Eugene Air Park was built in 1919 at what is now the southeast corner of West 18th Avenue and Chambers Street. This first airstrip took care of all aviation operations until the modern Mahlon Sweet Field opened in 1943. The original site ceased operations in the summer of 1956.

(Submitted on May 1, 2024.)

Credits. This page was last revised on December 14, 2024. It was originally submitted on April 24, 2024, by Ted Welker of Eugene, Oregon. This page has been viewed 402 times since then and 55 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on April 24, 2024, by Ted Welker of Eugene, Oregon. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.

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