History
Western Nebraska Regional Airport was first established in 1934. The original airport had a hangar, commercial airline connections, air mail service, lighted fields, a weather bureau station, and a strong record as a civilian pilot training facility .
With the United States entry into World War II, Scottsbluff actively promoted the use of its municipal airport for military/defense purposes. On September 5, 1942, an announcement was made that Scottsbluff was selected as one of seven satellite air bases that would be located in Nebraska. Twenty-eight farms were vacated so construction could begin at a cost of 5.5 million dollars. The original Scottsbluff Municipal Airport was forced to close to make way for the new airfield's construction. The old airport later became a prisoner of war camp.
Construction began at the new base on September 7, 1942. A temporary railroad spur was constructed to the base, and some 600,000 cubic yards (460,000 m3) of concrete for three runways was poured in forty-five days. There were approximately 108 buildings on the ground including barracks, mess halls, officers' quarters, warehouses, a hangar, a camouflage instruction building, and a bombsight storage building. 108 buildings and structures were constructed at the airfield.
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