Hill Field, North of State Highway 193, East of Interstate 15, South of Davis-Weber Canal, West of Wherry Road, Layton, Davis County, UT

Significance: Hill Field (now Hill Air Force Base, HAFB) became famous during World War II for its rehabilitation of battle-weary aircraft. Exercising its mission to receive, store, repair, and ship air materiel, HAFB became Utah's largest employer in the early 1950s, a status it retained until Defense Department downsizing led other employers to eclipse it in the mid 1990s. By the mid-1930s the War Department understood the value of air power in America's defense. An Air Corps air mail experiment and an investigation of suitable base sites led to a place east of Ogden Arsenal. Mobilization regulations and the Wilcox Act of 1935 anticipated six new air bases. War in Europe and Asia made the new bases imperative. Cooperating with the Air Corps, the Ogden Chamber of Commerce took an option on land east of the Arsenal, part of which it donated to the government. Initial construction took place between 1938 and 1942. The Air Corps designated the installation as Hill Field and the command as Ogden Air Depot. The command opened on November 7, 1940. During World War II Hill Field became well known for its rehabilitation of engines, airframes, instruments, and other parts on battle-weary aircraft particularly the B-26, P-39, P-40, B-24, P-47, and A-20. Following the war, employees stored and reconditioned air materiel for surplus sales and for peacetime uses, and for the Cold War. Immediately after the war employment declined from a wartime peak of 15,000 to fewer than 4,000. The command supplied materiel for counter insurgency and for the Berlin Airlift. The outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950 revived HAFB. The Defense Department constructed new hangars, runways, storage, and repair facilities. The need for more space led to the acquisition of Ogden Arsenal on April 1, 1955. As the Cold War intensified and war in Vietnam called for additional air materiel, employment rose to more than 17,000. HAFB missions have included management of the Snark, Genie, BIMARC, and Minuteman missiles and the F-4, F-15, and F-16 jets.
Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N674
Survey number: HAER UT-85
Building/structure dates: 1938-1942 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1943-1944 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1950-1953 Subsequent Work