Rosecrans Memorial Airport

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Rosecrans Memorial Airport

IATA: STJ - ICAO: KSTJ
Summary
Airport type		Public
Operator		City of St. Joseph
Serves		St. Joseph, Missouri
Elevation AMSL		826 ft (251.8 m)
Coordinates		39°46′19″N, 94°54′34.94″W
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
Direction	ft	m	Surface
17/35	8,059	2,456	Concrete
13/31	4,797	1,462	Asphalt/Concrete

Rosecrans Memorial Airport (IATA: STJ, ICAO: KSTJ) is a public airport located three miles (5 km) northwest of the city of St. Joseph in Buchanan County, Missouri, USA.

The airport is one of two bases for the Missouri Air National Guard and also serves general aviation.

[edit] History

Rosecrans Memorial Airport is located on a field that was once referred to as the French Bottoms. It was surrounded by four towns, three of which existed as late as 1979. The northern portion of the French Bottoms was settled first, in the 1830's-50's, and has since washed away. The settlers were French-born and/or descendants of earlier French settlers. In 1877 most of the land that now comprises the airport was located on a river bank on what was called "made land." This land had been formed by river deposits. By this year the French Bottoms contained sixty houses, one church, and two schools. The rich river bottom land, totaling approximately five thousand acres (20 km²), was traditionally used for farming. Some of the descendants of the early French settlers still lived in the bottoms in 1939, when the area was razed to make way for the airport.

The airport was named in honor of Sgt. Guy Wallace Rosecrans "and comrades" of the 153rd Aero Squadron, U.S. Army, 1917-18. Rosecrans was the only St. Joseph airman killed in World War I. The new 1939 flying field was the third airport in St. Joseph to bear the name Rosecrans. In 1922 the first Rosecrans Field was opened at Lake Contrary. The second was Rosecrans Municipal Airport on the waterworks road, abandoned because of its small size and its dangerous proximity to the Missouri River bluffs to its east.

The 1939 airport was developed by the city as a municipal airport. Two three-thousand-foot-long (910 m) runways were constructed in 1939, as well as an aircraft hangar located east of the runway intersection. During World War II the federal government established an Army Air Force Base there. During 1941-43 many improvements were made. The diagonal runways were doubled in length and a 5,500-foot north-south runway was constructed. The aircraft parking apron and many temporary buildings, including Hangar T-1020, were built. In 1948 much of the airfield's facilities were conveyed to the city, with the exception of 142 acres set aside for use by the Air National Guard (organized in 1946). Airport construction during this period consisted of pump house buildings and T-hangars (1949-50) and a terminal and administration building (1951-52).

The Great Flood of 1951 damaged many of the temporary World War II airport buildings beyond economical repair. The Missouri River changed course in the flood cutting off the airport from its land connection to St. Joseph. Today, visitors from Missouri must go through Kansas on the Pony Express Bridge in order to reach the airport.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers formalized the course change by dredging cut-off channel for the river between the airport and downtown St. Joseph. An oxbow lake (Browning Lake) was formed in the old Bellemont Bend and Elwood Bend portions of the river channel. The cut-off channel modified portions of Bon Ton Bend and St. Joseph Bend, and separated the city from the airport. A bridge and highway were later constructed to connect the two.

Construction during the next twenty years included a main hangar building (1954), a flight office building (1960), an emergency generator building (1963), a center taxiway (1973), and a runway (1974-75).

The Great Flood of 1993 destroyed the City Administration Building and the Cockpit Cafe. Both were rebuilt. The oldest, center hangar had to be demolished. In 1994 the diagonal runway 13-31 was rebuilt into a new assault landing strip for the Air National Guard and for general aviation aircraft. A new fixed base operator building and a hangar were also being constructed.

Over the years the airport has been used for/by business-related aviation, agricultural crop spraying, charter passenger and cargo services, area student pilot training, nightly mail delivery, the Missouri Air National Guard use, and TWA pilot training.

The last commercial service was in 1959.