Norman in Cleveland County, Oklahoma — The American South (West South Central)

A Navy on the Prairie

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, March 21, 2019

1. A Navy on the Prairie Marker

Inscription. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December of 1941, the U.S. entered World War II and the Navy began looking for sites to train fighter pilots. The Navy bought 2,537 acres in Norman and leased another 62,000 acres in Oklahoma, primarily for remote landing fields. In the spring of 1942 crews blitz-built the Naval Air Station (North Base) at the University of Oklahoma's Max Westheimer Field. A large mound made from dirt scraped up for the lengthening of the runways was named Mount Williams in honor of an early commander of Naval Air Station Norman. The dirt hill was used as a backstop for the rifle range. Simultaneously, on the south side of Norman, the Navy built dozens of temporary buildings and opened the Naval Air Technical Training Center (NATTC) and a Naval hospital. Every three months, 800 cadets learned to fly on the North Base and another 18,000 mechanics, machinists and nurses were trained at the NATTC throughout the year. The bases were closed after the war but the technical training center (South Base) was reactivated briefly during the Korean War. When that war ended, the land and buildings were mainly deeded

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to the university and the city, and a few plots were sold to private interests.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • War, World II. A significant historical year for this entry is 1942.

Location. 35° 14.447′ N, 97° 28.976′ W. Marker is in Norman, Oklahoma, in Cleveland County. It is on Legacy Park Drive west of 24th Avenue Northwest. Marker is across from the amphitheater in Legacy Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1898 Legacy Park Dr, Norman OK 73069, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Oklahoma — Frontier Country

and in Greater Oklahoma City.

It is also in the American South,

specifically on the prairies,

and on the Southern Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Norman's Original Cemetery (approx. 2.1

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 20, 2025

2. A Navy on the Prairie Marker

miles away); J.A. “Abe” Andrews Park (approx. 2.3 miles away); Moore-Lindsay Historic House Museum (approx. 2.4 miles away); Bank Troubles Amid Continued Growth (approx. 2½ miles away); Annexation and Lake Thunderbird (approx. 2½ miles away); Excellence in Education and a New City Hall (approx. 2½ miles away); National Football Championships and City Growth to the West (approx. 2½ miles away); The End of the Century and the Beginning of Legacy Trail (approx. 2½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Norman.

Naval Air Station, Norman image. Click for full size.

Courtesy of the Cleveland County Historical Society (Public Domain), circa 1944

3. Naval Air Station, Norman

Credits. This page was last revised on July 31, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 28, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 144 times since then and 48 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 28, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 3. submitted on July 31, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.