Pearson Field Boasts Ties to Evolution of Aviation
aviation, culture, fort vancouver, history, pearson air museum, pearson field, vancouver, vancouver national historic reserve,
Visitors to Vancouver National Historic Reserve expect to learn about Fort Vancouver’s earliest days as a fur trading outpost and the headquarters of the Hudson’s Bay Co., but the site also boasts significant ties to the beginnings and evolution of aviation.
Pearson Field, located adjacent to the fort, may be one of the best-kept secrets in the country. It boasts a history rich with momentous landings and events and a roster of past visitors that includes some of the world’s best-known aviators.
“There’s a lot of history here,” says Bill Alley, the curator and manager of the Pearson Air Museum. “A lot of people visit for that reason alone.”
Named in 1925 for pilot Lt. Alexander Pearson, the field’s roots go back more than 100 years. The first significant event came on Sept. 19, 1905, when Lincoln Beachey flew from the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition in Portland and landed at the site, which was then the polo field for Fort Vancouver. It was the first aerial crossing of the Columbia River, and it established the site as a pioneer airfield.
Since then, Pearson Field has seen the landing of Valery Chkalov, sometimes called “The Russian Charles Lindbergh,” who landed there after the first trans-polar flight from Moscow. Even Lindbergh was one of many aviation heroes to come to Pearson Field.
During World War I, the airfield was converted into a spruce cut-up mill for the construction of aircraft frames.
“It took only 48 days to convert it into a mill,” Alley says.
Today, Pearson Field is one of the oldest continuously operating airfields in the U.S. The museum helps preserve the rich heritage of the field with a variety of vintage aircraft and memorabilia exhibits. Besides offering tours, it hosts social events, including weddings.
Story by Michael Kelly
Photo by Stephen Cherry
