The year was 1934 and there were 1,100 men unemployed in Fremont County. The Great Depression had hit the country and county hard. Looking for ways to boost employment, the mayor and councilmen of Riverton applied for and won authorizations from the Public Works Department for three projects.
One of these projects was the Riverton Airport, now called Central Wyoming Regional Airport after a name change in 2020.
Riverton did have a landing strip that had been in use for a few decades prior to the 1930s but lacked a formal airport. With the authorization, the city acquired 640 acres of land, and it was here they constructed a large steel hangar.
The airport continued to expand from the 30s onward. A building, also built during the Depression, was moved onto the airport site and eventually converted into a popular nightclub, The Sky Club. Other parts of the building were utilized as offices and a terminal for Challenger Airlines. Challenger began regular service in Riverton in 1947. They provided flights to a variety of cities including Albuquerque, Billings, Cheyenne, Cody, Denver, Laramie, and Salt Lake City. At this time, the runways were still sod and gravel and the airline used DC3 planes that were converted from their previous use as cargo and troop transporters during World War II.
In 1950, Challenger, Monarch Air Lines, and Arizona Airways merged to create Frontier airlines. During this time the first section of paved runway was added to the airport. Later, the runways were elongated, taxiways added, and the terminal underwent an expansion. Frontier also retired their use of DC3s and converted to Convair 580s.
By the 1960s, 33 people were employed at Riverton airport, Frontier provided 6 round trips into Riverton each day, and aviation became an important part of Fremont County and Riverton’s economy. Along with the movement of people, goods, equipment, and mail were also flown in. Between the years of 1961 and 1962 over 18,000 pounds of mail had been moved through Riverton airport.
Later on, Riverton was also home to the Riverton Aviation Incorporation which hosted the Cessna Pilot Training Center and instructed student pilots. Riverton Aviation went on to hold a contract to fuel all of Frontier’s planes at the airport. They made headlines in the 1970s when they became the first company in Wyoming to hire women to fuel airplanes. The company even changed the name of the occupation from linemen to line persons to include the women that worked the job.
In the mid-1970s, the airport was in need of updates. The FAA had put out new standards and airlines were switching over to jets. These larger planes were hard to accommodate as Convair 580s were phased out.
By 1974 there was a $4.5 million dollar, improvement plan in the works. In February of 1975 ground had officially been broken on the airport expansion as an additional 1,300 acres of land was acquired. By 1978 jet services had officially started in Riverton.
Seven years later, Frontier’s jets stopped servicing Riverton citing increased operation costs. Since then, a variety of airlines have come and gone at Riverton Airport including Pioneer, Great Lakes Aviation, Continental, and United, which is currently serving the airport.
So, the next time you take to the skies at Central Wyoming Regional Airport think of its humble beginnings and how a key part of the community came out of economic hardship.
Next up for the Fremont County Museum
November 4, 6-8pm with the Riverton Museum, “Trivia Night” at the Riverton Branch Library
November 13, 6pm at the Riverton Museum, “Preserving Personal Photographs and Heirlooms” Wyoming Community Bank Discovery Speakers Series
November 15, 1pm at the Pioneer Museum, “Christmas Stocking Party” Bailey Tire/Pit Stop Children’s Exploration Series
December 13, 2pm at the Riverton Museum, “Santa’s Workshop” Bailey Tire/Pit Stop Children’s Exploration Series
December 13, 10-4pm at the Riverton Museum, “Christmas Open House”
December 13, 6-8pm at the Pioneer Museum, “Old Fashioned Christmas in the Pioneer Village’ Bailey Tire/Pit Stop Children’s Exploration Series
December 13, 11-3pm at the Dubois Museum, “Holiday Open House”
Thru December, 9-5 at the Riverton Museum, “History Day Exhibits” Shoshone Schools
Call the Dubois Museum 1-307-455-2284, the Pioneer Museum 1-307-332-3339 or the Riverton Museum 1-307-856-2665 for detail regarding their programs.
The Dubois Museum, the Pioneer Museum in Lander and the Riverton Museum need your financial support. In the current economic environment, the museums are more reliant than ever on donations from the private sector to continue to provide the quality programs, collections management, exhibits and services that have become their hallmark over the last four years. Please make your tax deductible contribution through the Wind River Cultural Centers Foundation www.windriverccf.com or by sending a check to Fremont County Museums 450 N 2nd Rm 320 or taking it directly to the museum you choose to support.
