Pearson Field

Lt. Noel B. Evans, a pilot with the 321st Observation Squadron
NPS PHOTO

In the early years of the 20th century, Vancouver Barracks, and its polo field, was a central place for aviation enthusiasts to gather and try out their aircraft. During these early years at the Vancouver Barracks polo field, civilian aviators like Silas Christofferson, Charles Walsh, Walker Edwards, and Louis Barin wowed crowds with aerial acrobatics and feats.

When the United States entered World War I in 1917, the polo field became the site of the Spruce Production Division's Spruce Cut-Up Mill, where spruce logged from the forests of the Pacific Northwest was manufactured into aviation-grade lumber. The lumber produced by the Spruce Mill was used to construct Curtiss JN-4 aircraft for pilots in training, and De Havilland DH-4 aircraft for combat overseas.

In the early 1920s, the Spruce Mill was demolished, and the field once again became an air field, first known as the "Vancouver Barracks Aerodrome," and christened "Pearson Air Field," after Lt. Alexander Pearson, in 1925. Beginning in 1923, the field was home to the 321st Observation Squadron, 96th Division, commanded by Lt. Oakley Kelly from 1924-1929, and by Lt. Carlton Bond from 1929-1933 and 1938-1940.

Among the more notable aviation achievements tied to Pearson Field is landing of the Douglas World Cruisers, on their way to achieving the first aerial circumnavigation of the globe, at the field in 1924.

Another highlight in the history of Pearson Field occurred in June 1937, when the Soviet Union launched the first trans-polar flight from Moscow with a three man crew, piloted by Valery Chkalov. After over three days of flying, and while en route to San Francisco, the ANT-25 aircraft piloted by Chkalov touched down at Pearson Field due to an engine oil leak. The event put Pearson Field, and Vancouver, Washington, on the front page of newspapers around the world.

Pearson Field was decommissioned by the Army Air Corps at the end of World War II, but it remains in service as a municipal airfield.

Learn about visiting Pearson Air Museum

Pearson Field History

Showing results 1-10 of 12

Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
The JN-4 Jenny: The Plane that Taught America to Fly
- Type: Article
- Locations: Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
The Curtiss JN-4 Jenny is synonymous with the “barn storming” era of aviation, and is truly the airplane that taught American pilots of the 1916-1925 era how to fly. This training airplane, designed by a team working for the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company in 1914-1915, was built in the thousands in during World War I to train US servicemen how to fly.
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
Touchable Aircraft for Young Visitors “Flies” in to Pearson Air Museum
- Type: Article
- Locations: Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
In January 2024, Fort Vancouver NHS unveiled a touchable Liberty aircraft in the lobby of Pearson Air Museum! The aircraft was designed and constructed by NPS exhibit specialist volunteers and students at Vancouver’s iTech Preparatory.
Soaring into the Future – Pacific West and Intermountain regions host 2024 aviation workshop
- Type: Article
- Locations: Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
- Offices: Aviation Program
In FY’24, over a century after the first aircraft demonstrations at Pearson Field, aviation managers and practitioners representing national parks, two regional offices, NPS Branch of Aviation, and the DOI Office of Aviation Service met within the historic 1921 hanger for training, discussion, and to reflect on the future of NPS aviation management.
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
Leah Hing
- Type: Person
- Locations: Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
In 1934, Leah Hing, a first-generation Chinese American, became the first U.S.-born Chinese American woman to earn a pilot's license.
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
The Curtiss "Pusher"
- Type: Article
- Locations: Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
Pearson Air Museum at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site displays a full-scale replica of a 1912 Curtiss Pusher aircraft, modeled after the plane flown by Silas Christofferson from Portland to Vancouver Barracks.
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
Danny Grecco
- Type: Person
- Locations: Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
Danny Grecco was a key figure in the history of Pearson Field. Learn about his career as a mechanic and acrobatic performer.
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
Lieutenant Noel B. Evans and the 321st Observation Squadron at Pearson Field
- Type: Article
- Locations: Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
From 1925 to 1932, Lieutenant Noel B. Evans served with the 321st Observation Squadron at Pearson Field.
Alexander Pearson: An Early Pilot of Aviation History
- Type: Article
- Locations: Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, Grand Canyon National Park
Lt. Alexander Pearson was a trailblazing pilot of early aviation. His groundbreaking flights, including the first aerial survey of the Grand Canyon and breaking the world speed record in 1923, made him one of the United States' most celebrated early aviators. Today, Pearson Field and Pearson Air Museum, a part of Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, are named after him.
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
The Spruce Production Division
- Type: Article
- Locations: Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
From 1917 to 1918, the nationalization of the lumber industry in the Pacific Northwest led to the creation of the Spruce Production Division. This massive war effort employed tens of thousands of soldiers and produced millions of board feet of lumber for the manufacture of airplanes.
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
The DH-4 Liberty Plane at War and in Peace
- Type: Article
- Locations: Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
The DH-4 Liberty plane, manufactured from Sitka spruce logged from the forests of the Pacific Northwest, played a significant role both in battle and after the war.