On July 15, 1942, the Government announced that an air base would be constructed at Pratt. Three days later the War Department announced that they would abandon the Air Base as it was declared to be in Naval territory.
In the first week in August, 1942, A.L. Royalty, secretary of the Chamber of Commerce, Fred Swinson and Fred Swisher were in Washington in regards to some land transactions between the government and some Pratt County land owners. Before leaving they were advised that there would be some type of air base in Pratt.
On August 22, 1942, Senators Reed and Capper released information that the War Department had authorized an air installation for Pratt to cost in excess of $3,000,000. Construction to be under the supervision of the Army Engineers of Tulsa.
Judge Hopkins signed condemnation action for 1440 acres of land north of Pratt. Some land had already been acquired. On September 23 the government took possession of another 1119.6 acres for an operational unit.
The Army Engineers set up headquarters on the second floor of the Peoples Bank where the telephone offices had been before moving into their home across the alley. Later the Engineers moved to the former location of the Pratt Motor Co. located at 410-412 South Main. As soon as a building was constructed at the field the Engineers moved into their own quarters. Lt. C.E. Dietchler of the Army Engineers was in charge of construction and design.
A call went out for rooms, and apartments were made to house workers and their families who worked at the Air Base. About 300 were already on the job and 150 more were expected.
By the first of December, 1942, concrete runways were being laid and foundations for buildings were being poured. Barracks were build to house 4,000 men.
Land east of Highway 281 was requisitioned for officers quarters and a 100 bed hospital. The concrete silo support for the water tank was completed. It was 100 feet high. A red wood tank was built on the stand.
On February 9, 1943, government officials announced that Pratt Army Air Base would be tripled in size. An architect engineering firm was contracted to revise and develop plans for the expanded facilities and to supervise the construction. Wyatt C. Hederick Architectural Engineering firm was contracted.
Congressman Clifford R. Hope announced that the expansion would cost over $3,000,000. The expansion included three more hangars, chapel, theater and more barracks to house 7,500 men. Expansion was to include 8 day rooms, more mess halls, and a NCO (Non Commission Officers) club was built.
The construction of a by-pass of Highway 281 around the east edge of the base and hospital area was high priority. It was a round the clock project until its completion.
On May 6, 1943, another order came through to build another hangar, also housing facilities, barracks, mess hall and day room for WAACS that were soon to be stationed at the field.
On June 17, 1943, the Pratt Army Air Field was to be officially designated as the Pratt Army Air Base. The designation of this installation has been changed so many times, it is hard to know what to call it.
A contract was let on October 14, 1943 for grading, laying track, and construction of a platform. The cost being $90,000. This railroad was to begin at Iuka, taking off from the Missouri Pacific Railroad and cutting across east and south of the hospital and entering the base just north of the warehouse area at the south edge of the base. Besides the warehouses to be served by the road, a spur was to run to the south and west to gasoline storage tanks.
Geiger and Rutherford of Leavenworth, Kansas had the contact for grading of the four sections of land. Actual grading was started on October 8, 1942. The area consisted of four sections including the half section that the city was developing for an airport.
Most all of this area was drained by underground cement pipe. These pipe varied in size from a foot to 5 and 6 feet in diameter. All this drainage pipe had to be set, filled around and compacted before building foundations and runways could be poured. It was said that one of the center miles was the most level mile in the state of Kansas varying but two inches in a mile.
These concrete pipes were made in the two block area where the Safety First Carland is today. Steel forms were used to shape the pipe of the various sizes. They were steam cured, thus they were ready to be laid within a few days. The work continued around the clock until the network drainage was completed.
Geiger and Rutherford worked two shifts in the grading operations. As soon as a section was finished graded, the concrete runways were poured.
Koss Construction Co. of Des Moines, Iowa had the contract for the concrete work. The north-south runway was laid first. The foundations for the buildings were poured as fast as the grading was completed. Contracts for the buildings were made to several contractors, whose crews were working ten to twelve hours a day.
The United States Employment Services set up an office in Pratt. All employees went through the office for the different jobs. You were not hired unless you had a release from your former employer. Too many would become dissatisfied and jump from one employer to another. This release made for a more stable work force.

All buildings on the base were heated by stoves with coal as the fuel. The hangars and maintenance area were heated by steam with coal as the energy source. All the hospital area was steam heated.
The perimeter of the base was outlined with a barbed wire fence with only one entrance gate off Highway 281. All areas not covered by buildings or runways had to be seeded to grass. There was a lot of small projects that went unnoticed except to those involved.
One of the most interesting events in the construction of the base, if you desire to call it such, was the locating true north in relationship to the north-south runway. As midnight drew near a group of engineers focused their surveying transit on the north star (Polaris). The transit was kept focused on Polaris and followed it as it moved across the northern horizon. At the precise minute at midnight, a reading was taken on the transit. This reading point was marked on the runway. A line from the transit point to the newly located one on the runway gave the line pointing true north. The new runway was right on true path.
Many other features appeared on the base. An earth embankment was thrown up off the south-east and north-west runways, a short distance off the runway. The planes could park on the taxistrip, in order that the gunners could have some practice and become acquainted with the guns.
Engineers arrived on the site on May 28,1942. In late summer, 1943, the first B-29's arrived. In one year, plus or minus a week or two, an air base sprung up on an almost barren field. A few farmsteads were removed. In this one year an air base with five hangars and a new city capable to house, train and care for the welfare of ten thousand people sprung up. Planes were arriving, crews were being organized for training and testing the planes.
Transcribed by Madeline Martin 11/12/2007