Mitchell Milwaukee International started as not much more than a patch of land in 1926. Here’s how it grew into what it is today.
A century ago, what is now Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE) became part of the Golden Age of Flight.
This pioneering period of aviation history lasted from the end of World War I, when surplus military airplanes were repurposed for commercial flights, to the beginning of World War II and saw massive growth in an industry that revolutionized transportation. The Air Mail Act of 1925 helped establish routes for delivery planes, and the following year, the Air Commerce Act established safety rules and regulations for commercial flights. These protocols led to rapid change and expansion in air travel, and Milwaukee was an important part of those early, turbulent days. In 1919, Milwaukee County established its first airfield, named Butler Airport, where Currie Park in Wauwatosa is today.
“At that time, air travel was just beginning to be known in the consciousness of the public, and Milwaukee wanted to get in on the ground floor of that,” explains Bill Streicher, former longtime president of the Mitchell Gallery of Flight, the 24-hour museum inside the main terminal at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport…