{"id":6295,"date":"2017-10-20T17:41:15","date_gmt":"2017-10-20T21:41:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ss.sites.mtu.edu\/mhugl\/?p=6295"},"modified":"2017-12-08T11:22:49","modified_gmt":"2017-12-08T16:22:49","slug":"history-of-the-k-i-sawyer-air-force-base","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ss.sites.mtu.edu\/mhugl\/2017\/10\/20\/history-of-the-k-i-sawyer-air-force-base\/","title":{"rendered":"History of the K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
K.I. Sawyer A.F.B Command Tower (from cardcow.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Introduction<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Driving through the heart of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, just south of Marquette, the winding two lane road leads to gated entrance with a sign that reads \u201cWelcome to the K.I. Sawyer A.F.B.\u201d At one point in time, the entrance booth would have contained an attendant and the road would lead to the bustling compound that was once a fully operational United States Air Base, formally called the K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base. Surrounded by the Escanaba River State Forest, the vast compound was once a contributor in United States\u2019 success in the Cold War preventing and monitoring attempts of Soviet invasion.\u00a0 This led to the men and women who were stationed there often being referred to as the \u201cGuardians of the North\u201d.<\/p>\n

Origins<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

The origin of the K.I. Sawyer A.F.B goes back to the mid-1930s when it was originally established as a civilian airport.\u00a0 Kenneth Ingalls Sawyer, a civil engineer and Marquette Road Commissioner, saw that there were many economic advantages for a new airport that would aid in the development of the Marquette area. These included increased tourist travel to the area, and by 1937, air transport of iron ore to keep up with the ever-increasing demand during World War II (Find a Grave).\u00a0 A county airport was built in southwest Marquette.\u00a0 However, the area experienced even more growth than anticipated.\u00a0 By 1941, Sawyer proposed a plan for new airport.\u00a0 The airport was approved and built (Grabowski).<\/p>\n

From Airport to Air Base<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Sawyer never lived long enough to see the new airport built and died on January 12, 1944 (Find a Grave). Upon completion, the airport was the named the K.I. Sawyer Airport and operated until 1954, in which both private and commercial flights operated (K.I. Sawyer Heritage Museum).\u00a0 With the growing concerns arising from the Cold War, the government made the decision to build new bases across the country.\u00a0 As tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union grew,\u00a0the United States government became increasingly concerned about the relations between the two nations and precautionary measures were taken against possible Soviet attacks on the United States.\u00a0 Recognizing that the military needed a better “view” of the north, K.I. Sawyer was chosen along with bases in Grand Forks and Minot, North Dakota and Glasgow, Montana. These locations provided excellent reception capability for radar, making them logistically beneficial for the Air Force. This is due to the position along the Canadian border. These bases would be the first locations to recognize and notify the government of potential attacks from the north (Shaw, 71).<\/p>\n

In addition to being a logistical military asset, the area surrounding the base provided an enjoyable experience for the employed military personnel, most particularly with the access to outdoor activities, such as hiking, fishing, hunting, boating, and skiing, Though was sometimes referred to as “K.I. Siberia”, it was reported that many of the personnel enjoyed the area (K.I. Sawyer Heritage Museum).<\/p>\n

In January 24, 1955, the U.S. Government signed a 99-year lease establishing the airport as the K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base.\u00a0 The original proposal was that the base be used as a civilian airport as well as military base. This agreement lead to the installment of a $12 million jet base and additionally limited the amount of civilian aircraft landings to 300 per month (Grabowski).\u00a0 Construction began immediately and employed approximately 850 people.\u00a0 The government now had access to world-class air facilities as well as an all-weather runway that was 12,300 feet long and a total of 300 feet wide (Joersz, 29).<\/p>\n

The agreement only lasted a short while, however, and as negotiations between the United States government and Marquette County began, the base was soon established and transferred to complete Air Force control. On January 24, 1956 Lt.Col. Robert L. Brocklehurst was named the first commander of K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base (Gwinn Chamber of Commerce). The base was then fully activated by military personnel on April 8, 1956.\u00a0 The last non-military functions of the base were discontinued in 1957 (Joersz, 9).<\/p>\n

Operations<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

The most critical functions the base provided was the use of early warning network radar lines and Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) facilities.\u00a0 Being so far north, the technology was used to deter any potential threats imposed by the Soviet Union if any attacks were to come from over the Canadian border.\u00a0 The United States government expressed growing concern about the possibility of the Soviet Union using bombers or Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) as a form of attack against the country (Shaw, 72).<\/p>\n

The SAGE systems revolutionized air defense for the United States. It was the first time that an automated nationwide computer based air defense system was used.\u00a0\u00a0 The automatic data-processing capability took the place of manual Ground Control Interception (GCI) systems in \u201cobserving, plotting, transmitting information and assigning targets for air defense weapons\u201d. SAGE facilities, such as K.I. Sawyer, processed air surveillance information collected from surrounding radar stations. This information contained whereabouts and paths of things like commercial aircraft, military aircraft, and most importantly, enemy missiles. The data was then sent directly to Air Defense Command units. This meant that the radar data could be analyzed in real time, and threats could be recognized and dealt with immediately.\u00a0Another advancement was the display scope.\u00a0 This scope provided a screen that could analyze the data and render it as graphics. This was the first time airmen could have the attack visualized for them on a screen. They could see the battle happening, as well as rewind the battle to “see how things got that way”, utilizing one of the first instances of computer memory. This, at the time, was revolutionary. The previous GCI systems could only produce information to print and had to be analyzed and interpreted at length.\u00a0 The new SAGE systems could allow the \u201csplit second presentation, as well as split second calculation\u201d (IBM).\u00a0 As the number of ICBMs on alert started to exceed the number of bombers on ground alert, northern bases became increasingly important to the Air Force (FAS).<\/p>\n

When the base was activated, it was immediately put under the jurisdiction of the Air Defense Command (ADC) and in 1964 the Strategic Air Command (SAC). \u00a0The base was home many different fighting units including the 473rd Fighter Group, which became the 56th Fighter Group, as well as the Sault Ste. Marie Air Defense Sector and the 4042nd Strategic Wing. The 4042nd Strategic wing was discontinued and the 410th Bombardment Wing was activated in February 1963. The Wing then began conducting flying missions with aircraft such as the B-52H Stratofortress, a new fighter jet, and the KC- 135 Stratotanker, an aerial refueling plane, both developed by Boeing. \u00a01963 also saw the end of the 56th Fighter Group on April 30, 1971.\u00a0 The base was also home to other divisions such as the 87th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, which ran until October 1, 1985, the 410th Combat Support Group, the 2001st Communications Squadron, as well as serving as the 71st Flying Training Wing.\u00a0 The SAC was disbanded in June of 1992 and the base came under control of the Air Combat Command (ACC)\u00a0(Joersz, 9). \u00a0The contributions of these divisions included sending crews to fight in Southeast Asia in the 1960s as well as sending 450 men and women to the first Persian Gulf war in 1990. They were deployed in support of Operation Desert Shield.<\/p>\n

Closure and Economic Impact<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

The KI Sawyer Air Force Base had a history with the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRAC), even before its official closure in September 1965. The base was declared to be on the closure list several different times.\u00a0 The base was considered for closing among others but continually had other closed bases\u2019 resources transferred there instead.\u00a0 This was a relief to the base and the surrounding community, as the base provided crucial economic support to the surrounding area.\u00a0 After the Kincheloe base in western U.P. closed down, growing concerns regarding the future of the base rose.\u00a0 However, the base was saved was in 1975 when the Navy insisted on keeping the base open as a potential site to implement the highly criticized Seafarer Program (Mining Journal). The Seafarer program was a Naval endeavor to put in place a \u201cgigantic underground antenna grid\u201d that the Navy insisted was needed for defense against nuclear submarines (Mining Journal).\u00a0\u00a0An unnamed Pentagon source from the time said as far as the Air Force was concerned the base would remain open, and the base was taken off the closure list (Mining Journal). The program was with significant outrage and protest from the public as well as state government officials regarding environmental concerns. People against the idea of nuclear weapons were also against the program.\u00a0 In the winter of 1978, a march was held at the base against the program held by the Great Lakes Life Community, ending in the crowd being drenched by a fire hose.\u00a0 The group was against any connection with nuclear weapons, as they were seen as a threat to all life (Mining Journal).\u00a0 The Navy never succeeded with implementing the system and the endeavor eventually failed altogether. Though the program was never implemented, it allowed the continuation of operations at the base.\u00a0 Finally, after continuing to bounce on and off the closure list, 1993 marked the official closing of the base and in September 1995, all military activity ceased and the K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base officially closed (Shaw, 172).<\/p>\n

The closing of the base had a profound and devastating effect on the Marquette area economy.\u00a0 The base had once employed around 880 civilians as well as the 3,200 active military personnel (Joersz, 35).\u00a0 These jobs in themselves created almost 2,000 other secondary jobs.\u00a0 All people employed had access to a job, income, medical care, and housing.\u00a0 The closing also indirectly affected an additional 1,000 local jobs including construction, retail, car dealerships, restaurants, and motels.\u00a0 These establishments quickly experienced drastic drops in income.\u00a0 The closing had a profound effect on places such as Northern Michigan University and Gwinn are public schools as well.\u00a0 The military was funding $500,000 for up to 500 military personnel annually to pursue degrees.\u00a0 The added children enrolled in the public schools allowed for more government funding and better quality schools. This loss of tuition was coupled with the 157 million annual Air Force spending that expanded over a 50 mile radius. These losses left a hole in the area\u2019s economy. The town of Sawyer went into a steep economic decline. \u00a0Before its closure the county faced the prospect of losing at least 20% of its local economy, with no immediate means of filling the hole. In the words of Herb Parsons, “When you have a facility the size and scope of K.I. Sawyer, you’re talking about a Fortune 500 company” (Rohan).<\/p>\n

As of 2016, Sawyer\u2019s poverty rate was as high as 46%, compared with the Marquette County rate of approximately 18%, according to U.S. census data from 2014.\u00a0 Unemployment in the area has reached as high as 24%.\u00a0 The area has also become a reputable \u201cdrug den\u201d after dealers took advantage of the emptying compound upon its closure in the 1990s.\u00a0 Housing costs dropped significantly, but this was not enough to lure people into the area (Dawsey).<\/p>\n

Future Plans<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

The abandoned base is on a\u00a05,200-acre plot and contains buildings used for housing, medical facilities, air facilities, as well as many other structures (Telender). Due to vandalism and general run-down of the buildings, the base was once considered a public safety hazard as well as a general \u201cunsightly place\u201d (Dawsey). \u00a0After the base\u2019s closing there were endeavors being made to convert the facilities into educational or an Olympic training location. Though these initial attempt at achieving economic stability were not successful, in 1999, part of the base was used as the new Sawyer International Airport. A new terminal building was completed by September 25, 1999 and and has one of the longest runways in North America. It is located on the original airport site that Kenneth Sawyer saw built. The new airport positioned for serving the central Upper Peninsula. Due to the military airports program, Sawyer International Airport received special funding and is ready for the next century’s air fleets that include jumbo jets due to the length of the runway. Telkite Technology Park now exists at the former base. The park is known for high tech, aviation, and commercial development and is home to companies such as Telkite Enterprises, LLC, AMR Eagle, Superior Extrusion, and more.\u00a0American Airlines and Delta fly out of Sawyer and serviced as many as 100,000 passengers in 2011 (Community Relations Plan, Appendix H, 2). Other progress is being made and there are many establishments beginning to operate in the area, including gas stations, a dentist clinic, and a community center. Many companies are expressing interest in expanding businesses to the area. These upgrades allow the locals remain hopeful, and remain certain that Sawyer is not a finished project (Dawsey).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Aerial View of K.I. Sawyer AFB (From wikimedia.org)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Kenneth Ingalls Sawyer (from findagrave.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Entrance Gate (from ammsalumni.org)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"B-52<\/a>
B-52 Bomber as displayed at location
(from kishamuseum.org)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n\n

 <\/p>\n

Primary\u00a0Sources<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. Rohan, Barry. \u201cClosing of Base In Upper Peninsula Casts Cloud Over Employment Gains.\u201d\u00a0Chicago Tribune<\/em>, 15 Aug. 1993.<\/li>\n
  2. \u201cBase in No Danger of Closing.\u201d The Mining Journal, 12 Mar. 1976.<\/li>\n
  3. Joersz, Eldon W.\u00a0Ecomomic Impact Statement<\/em>.\u00a0Ecomomic Impact Statement<\/em>.<\/li>\n
  4. \u201cAnti-Seafarer Marchers Halted at Sawyer Base.\u201d\u00a0The Mining Journal<\/em>, 30 Jan. 1978.<\/li>\n
  5. IBM. \u201c”On Guard: The Story of SAGE”, 1956. Youtube.com, <\/em>24 May 2013.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Secondary\u00a0Sources<\/h3>\n
      \n
    1. Former K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base Community Relations Plan<\/em>. Appendix H, United States Air Force, 2011.<\/li>\n
    2. Telender, Luke . \u201cCommunity Progress Blog.\u201d\u00a0How Marquette County Land Bank took on property at an abandoned air force base | Community Progress Blog | Center for Community Progress<\/em>, 14 Dec. 2014<\/li>\n
    3. \u201cKenneth I. Sawyer.\u201d\u00a0Kenneth I. Sawyer (1884 – 1944) – Find A Grave Memorial<\/em>, Find a Grave, 1 May 2000.<\/li>\n
    4. Grabowski, Michael. \u201cSawyer Offered More than Name to Community.\u201d\u00a0Marquette Monthly<\/em>, June 2005.<\/li>\n
    5. Grabowski, Michael. \u201cA Closer Look: K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base.\u201d\u00a0Marquette Monthly<\/em>, June 2005.<\/li>\n
    6. Shaw, Frederick J, editor. \u201cLocating Air Force Base Sites History\u2019s Legacy.\u201d Air Force History and Museums Program, 2014<\/li>\n
    7. \u201cK.I. Sawyer History.\u201d\u00a0Official Website | K.I. Sawyer Heritage Air Museum<\/i>.<\/li>\n
    8. \u201cSemi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE).\u201d Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) – United States Nuclear Forces, 29 June 1999<\/li>\n
    9. Chastity Pratt Dawsey | Bridge Magazine. \u201cPoverty in the UP: Down and out in purest Michigan.\u201d MLive.com, MLive.com, 21 June 2016.<\/li>\n
    10. \u201cThis History of Sawyer.\u201d\u00a0This History of Sawyer, Gwinn Chamber of Commerce.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      For further reading<\/h3>\n