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Boulder City Airport

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Coordinates: 35°58′13″N 114°50′58″W / 35.9704°N 114.8494°W / 35.9704; -114.8494
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This article is about the airport that operated prior to 1990. For the contemporary airport, see Boulder City Municipal Airport.
Boulder City Airport
The airport as depicted on a USGS map in 1958
Summary
Airport typePublic
ServesBoulder City, Nevada
Opened1933
Closedc. 1988
Passenger services ceased1949
Elevation AMSL2,458 ft / 749 m
Coordinates35°58′13″N 114°50′58″W / 35.9704°N 114.8494°W / 35.9704; -114.8494
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
3/21 2,900 880 Paved
Reflects final runway configuration (1985)

Boulder City Airport was an airport in Boulder City, Clark County, Nevada, that operated from 1933 through the mid-1980s. It was also known as Bullock Airport during its early history.[1]

History

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Boulder City Airport was dedicated on December 10, 1933,[2] although it appears to have been operational at least a month earlier, per a newspaper report of the era.[3] On September 30, 1935, a plane crashed and burned at the airport after the pilot, Arizona businessman Gene Redewill, had attended the dedication of the nearby Boulder Dam—although severely injured, Redewill survived.[4][5]

Airline service began on June 15, 1936, with Grand Canyon Airlines.[2] On April 3, 1938, the airport began airmail service, linking Los Angeles and San Francisco eastward.[6] Trans World Airlines (TWA) opened a terminal at the airport the following month, and operated at Boulder City through the late 1940s.[2] In December 1949, the Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA) suspended commercial flights from operating at Boulder City, due to its runways not meeting minimum standards, causing TWA to use McCarran Field near Las Vegas.[7] The terminal building was sold in 1958 to the Boulder City Elks Club,[2] who continue to be headquartered there. Newspaper reports indicate the airport continued to operate for non-commercial flights through at least the mid-1980s.[8][9]

Boulder City Airport has been replaced by Boulder City Municipal Airport, which opened in 1990.[10] The prior airport was located north of the current airport, much closer to U.S. Route 93.

Layout

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A 1958 topographic map by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) shows the airport layout as three runways just southeast of U.S. Route 93.[11]

Historical airport directories described the runways as follows:[12]

Year Publication Runways Lengths Comments
1960 Jeppesen Airway Manual
  • 3/21
  • 17/35
  • 12/30
  • 6,383 ft (1,946 m)
  • 6,495 ft (1,980 m)
  • 3,680 ft (1,120 m)
 All unpaved
Runways 17/35 & 12/30 not maintained
1962 AOPA Airport Directory     Two unpaved runways
1967 Flight Guide
  • 3/21
  • 17/35
  • 3,100 ft (940 m) paved
  • 6,495 ft (1,980 m) unpaved
 Runway 3/21 longer than its paved section
1980 Las Vegas Terminal Aeronautical Chart 3/21 3,100 ft (940 m) paved  
1982 AOPA Airport Directory
  • 3/21
  • 17/35
  • 3,100 ft (940 m) asphalt
  • 4,000 ft (1,200 m) gravel
 operator: Lake Mead Air
1985 Las Vegas Sectional Chart 3/21 2,900 ft (880 m) paved Runway listed as northeast/southwest
1994 CG-18 World Aeronautical Chart – – Abandoned

See also

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  • TWA Flight 3, which crashed in 1942 following departure from Las Vegas after the crew likely used a Boulder City outbound course by accident

References

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  1. ^ "Grant Locals and Personals". The Tribune-Sentinel. Grant, Nebraska. December 21, 1933. p. 5. Retrieved May 28, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b c d McBride, Dennis (February 2005). "Boulder City History". Boulder City – The Magazine. Retrieved May 28, 2022 – via bouldercitymagazine.com.
  3. ^ "Held Up Near Las Vegas". Reno Gazette-Journal. November 18, 1933. p. 12. Retrieved May 28, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Flames Destroy Gene Redewill Plane". The Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. October 1, 1935. p. 6. Retrieved May 28, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Redewill To Leave Hospital Next Week". The Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. November 1, 1935. p. 2. Retrieved May 28, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Bassett Jr., James (April 4, 1938). "Boulder City Becomes Link in Great Airport Chain". Los Angeles Times. p. 2. Retrieved May 29, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Boulder City Airport Closed". Reno Gazette-Journal. December 16, 1949. p. 17. Retrieved May 28, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Trapped". The Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. June 15, 1986. p. 15. Retrieved May 28, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Weather: Strange Doings in Atmosphere". Los Angeles Times. February 25, 1987. p. 21. Retrieved May 28, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Logan Pilot Dies in Nevada Crash". Salt Lake Tribune. AP. July 13, 1990. p. 20. Retrieved May 28, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Boulder City, NV". USGS.gov. Retrieved May 28, 2022. Select 24K and HTMC; click on the map near US Route 93; select "1958 (HTMC, 1959 ed.)"; click Show.
  12. ^ "Bullock's Airport / (Original) Boulder City Municipal Airport (BLD), Boulder City, NV". airfields-freeman.com. Retrieved May 29, 2022.

Further reading

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