US Army Corps of Engineers Real Estate Map
Source: US Army Corps of Engineers
The history of the Site began on 8 October 1942 when the War Department acquired 359.62 acres of farmland through direct purchase to build an auxiliary airfield. This airfield was one of five auxiliary fields subordinate to the Chico Army Air Field. The Site provided a location for emergency landings by aviation cadets and any other transient aircraft operating in the area. The Site also provided an off-site training location for the Army Air Forces Basic Flying School at Chico Army Air Field. USACE records indicated that the field had the capacity of supporting 40 aircraft per day. As this field supported a basic flying school, the primary aircraft operating at this field would have be the Vultee BT-13 “Valiant” although it could have supported a wide range of combat, training and support aircraft that operated in Northern California during World War II..
WAA records indicate that the infrastructure at the Site consisted of a 3,000-foot square asphalt landing mat with a few Theater of Operations-type building to provide a minimal level of support. No evidence of fueling systems, tanks, ammunition storage, or maintenance facilities was located during research. There was no troop housing or messing facilities located at this installation.
In 1944, basic pilot training at Chico Army Air Field ended which resulted in reduced use of the Site. On 20 November 1946, control of the Site was transferred to the WAA. The WAA in turn quitclaimed the Site to County of Glenn on 19 June 1947.
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| T-201 | Double Gate | Wood Frame |
| T-202 | Crash Truck and Crew Shelter | Wood Frame |
| T-203 | Stage House | Wood Frame |
| T-204 | Latrine | Wood Frame |
| None | Landing Mat, 3000’ x 3000’ | Asphalt |
POST ARMY USE:
The County of Glenn operated the Site as an airfield until approximately
1970. Kirkwood Airport appeared as an active airfield on the Federal
Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Sacramento Sectional Charts
until 1967. The 1970 FAA Sacramento Sectional Chart indicated
that the airfield was closed and the 1990 edition of that chart
made no reference to the airfield. At some time after the airports
closing the landing mat and any other surviving improvements were
removed and the land restored to farmland
US Army Corps of Engineers History
SITE NAME: Brentwood Farms, Lake Ranch, and Boone Ranch. The site was formerly known as Kirkwood Auxiliary Field No. 2; Chico Flying School Satellite Field No. A 2; Chico Air Base Auxiliary Field A 2; Chico Auxiliary Field A 2; Chico Basic Flying School Auxiliary Landing Field A 2 Military Reservation; Basic Flying School Chico, California Kirkwood A 2 Satellite Field; and Kirkwood Auxiliary Air Field, Glenn County.
LOCATION: The site is located in Glenn County, approximately 7 miles northeast of the city of Orland and 18 miles west northwest of the city of Chico.
SITE HISTORY: Kirkwood Auxiliary Field No. 2 was established in 1942 and used as an auxiliary field to Chico Army Air Field. Improvements to the site were three buildings, roads, a mesh fence, and utilities. Records do not indicate the type of buildings or their function; however, auxiliary fields in this area typically had a stage house, control tower, and latrine constructed on site. Certain auxiliary fields also had a crash truck shelter for servicing fields within a specific geographic area. Typically these were temporary training facilities without building heat, not equipped or utilized on a routine basis for maintenance or aircraft fueling operations. On 20 November 1946, the 359.62 fee acre site was transferred to the War Assets Administration.