Bay View in Milwaukee in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

General Mitchell Field

Photographed By Paul F, May 24, 2010

1. General Mitchell Field Marker

Inscription. On October 29, 1926, Milwaukee County purchased the flying field which Thomas Hamilton had established in 1920 on East Layton Avenue in connection with his propeller business. Northwest Airways inaugurated scheduled passenger service here on July 5, 1927, and that year Hamilton began production of an all metal passenger transport plane adopted by many early airlines.

Kohler Aviation Corporation provided the missing link in Milwaukee’s air network by initiating passenger service across Lake Michigan to Grand Rapids and Detroit on August 31, 1929. Such famous pioneer fliers as Charles A. Lindbergh, Lester Maitland, the Bremen fliers, Wiley Post, and Eddie Rickenbacker visited this field.

On March 17, 1941, this airport was renamed in honor of General William Mitchell (1879-1936), Milwaukee’s famous air power advocate who had also proposed a strong civil aviation as part of the nation’s defense.

Erected 1976 by Eastern Air Lines, Milwaukee County Historical Society. (Marker Number 221.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Air & Space. In addition, it is included in the Wisconsin Historical Society series list. A significant historical month for this entry is March 1858.

Location. 42° 57.509′ N, 87° 53.721′

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W. Marker is in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in Milwaukee County. It is in Bay View. Marker is on East Layton Avenue, half a mile east of South Howell Avenue, on the right when traveling east. Marker is located in the parking lot observation area on south side of Layton Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Milwaukee WI 53207, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Town of Lake (approx. 1.6 miles away); Lake Protestant Cemetery (approx. 1.6 miles away); Lakeside Power Plant (approx. 2.2 miles away); Bay View's Rolling Mill (approx. 2.8 miles away); Bay View’s Immigrants (approx. 3.2 miles away); St. Josaphat Basilica (approx. 3.3 miles away); Joseph Schlitz (approx. 3.6 miles away); Edward George Ryan (approx. 3.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Milwaukee.

Photographed By Paul F, May 24, 2010

2. General Mitchell Field Marker

General Mitchell Field image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Paul F, May 24, 2010

3. General Mitchell Field

The terminal building in seen in the background.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 10, 2010, by Paul Fehrenbach of Germantown, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 1,170 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 10, 2010, by Paul Fehrenbach of Germantown, Wisconsin. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.