Photos from the Collection of Alice Eakle Marks

Submitted by Melissa Marks Van Drew

Location / Airway

Location / Name

ILLINOIS:  DeKalb County

38 O-C Waterman DOCILF
AKA Dekalb County Airport, Waterman Airport, Eagle Airways Airport, Department of Commerce Site no. 38, Intermediate Landing Field, Progress Corner, Waterman Corner

GPS: 41.769463, -88.755336

Contract Air Mail

CAM #18 San Francisco CA-Chicago IL
The route changed to include this aiport on May 1, 1929 when the airport opened for buisness, the airport was dedicated on May 31, 1929.
Omaha-Chicago Airway
Boeing Air Transport awarded CAM #18 on January 28, 1927

As planes grew larger, it became apparent to a group of men living in DeKalb county, Illinois, that the current aiport at McGirr would not be able to support emergency landings much longer. The field was to small to have an adequate runway for them to land. They formed the Dekalb County Airport Company, recieved a charter and started building the new airport.

The Daily Chronicle (De Kalb, Illinois) · 28 Dec 1928, Fri · Page 1

Exceptionally good progress is being made on the DeKalb county airport, being built near Waterman, according to a report made last evening by Paul Eakle at a meeting of the members of the company building the airport, which will be used by the government. The meeting was held in this city, as most of the stockholders are DeKalb residents.

An 84-foot well has been sunk and the water has been found very good. The field has been leveled off and it will be covered with limestone so that it will be suitable for travel at all seasons of the year. At the present time it is nearly impossibe to reach the McGirr field because of the muddy condition of the road leading to the field.

The poles that will hold the border lights have been erected and the lighting fixtures installe. The underground cable is now being laid. At the south end of the field are poles 15 feet high. On these poles will be erected red obstruction lights showing that this side of the field should be avoided by pilots in landing. On the opposite side of the field will be erected green lights while the lights on the other two boundary lines will be white. The warning lights are of the latest type and have the apporval of the fovernment, the installation being under the supervision of a government airport engineer.

The electric service will be supplied by the Illinois Northern Utilities Company and an auxiliary power unit will be installled by the government that may be used in case the regular light service fails to function because of damage by storms or other reasons.

It is also understood that the government has let the contract for the tower in which will be located the weather bureau instruments and light controls. Work on this tower is to be started in a few weeks, as quickly as the crew will be able to complet a job near the Mississippi river. The material for the government beacon is enroute to the field at the present time.

The foundation work for the field house has been completed and work is now being started on the building. The building will be very modern and will contain a rest room, a lounging room, llunch room and rooms that may be used by air mail pilots that will be forced to spend the night at the field when forced landings are made. An observation tower, which may re reached from the inside of the building, will be a part of the structure.

The field is so arranged that private hangars may be constructed for the use of residents of the community who wish to have their own planes. Judging from reports, there are several DeKalb residents that are considering the purchase of planes.

The field will also contain a filling station that will handle all types of oils and gasoline, including the special fuel that is used by airplanes. Work on the filling station is also ready to start.

The government agents that have inspected the field state that its location is the best in the entire northern portion of the state and for that matter between Chicago and Iowa City. It is being laid our to mee the cobernment requirments. The field is located at the junction of state Route No. 23 and the national transcontinental air route, near Waterman.

· Mon, May 27, 1929 – Page 6 · The Daily Chronicle (De Kalb, Illinois) · Newspapers.com 

Timeline of the DeKalb County Airport

February 5, 1929

A charter was granted today to the Dekalb County Airport Company, the board of directors are: George Joost, E. G. Clark, Fred Simms, and Herbert E. Carlson, all of DeKalb and Edwin Zellar, of Malta, and Paul V. Eakle of Waterman.

Links

Progress Corner

The locals called the Dekalb County Airport in Waterman Progress Corner. It was built about 1 mile east of Waterman, on the nortwest corner of the intersection of Highways 23 and 30. The Chicago, Burlington, & Quincy railroad is very near this intersection. With an airport, roadway, and railway coming together at this location, (planes, trains, and cars) Alice Eakle Marks called it Progress Corner and even wrote a poem about it. The name caught on with the family and spread to the community.

This is Alice's poem:

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