This document chronicles the early history of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (originally known as Bow Lake Airport), tracing its origins from 1942 when Seattle faced overcrowding at Boeing Field and growing demand for commercial air travel. Compiled by Port of Seattle engineers Chet Clausen and Ray Bishop, it details how the Seattle Chamber of Commerce began surveying new airport sites in 1941 and secured a $1 million federal grant from the Civil Aeronautics Administration — an offer that nearby Tacoma and Vancouver, Washington had previously forfeited by delaying their decisions.Open full document
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A historical account of the origins of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Bow Lake Airport), compiled by Chet Clausen and Ray Bishop. The document covers the early 1940s aviation conditions in Seattle, including overcrowding at Boeing Field and the Civil Aeronautics Administration’s offer of one million dollars for a new airport. It details how the Seattle Chamber of Commerce began surveying sites in January 1941 and how the Port of Seattle moved forward while Tacoma and Vancouver forfeited similar grants.