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Show Hi m i- Canyon airport is the only one of its kind still standing. The barn-shaped sawed log structure will soon be placed on the Historical Register. The lacility is manned during the day. Historic Hanger Complimen ts Facilities at Ifryce Airport (EDITOR'S Note: The following has been submitted by Thoams Hobbs, administrator of Bryce Canyon National Park.) Garfield County Airport hanger, located on Utah Highway 12 near Bryce Canyon is the only one of its kind in the United States. The most recent flight service station operator, Ed Garrett claims the pilots from all over the country have attested to the unique character of this structure. Concurrence is that the only other hanger of its kind, in Tennessee, has collapsed in recent years. In the mid 1930' s, remote places such as Garfield County began to realize the benefits that could derive from air services. Thus the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Garfield County worked together to further both local and national concerns. When the hanger was built, a small metal plaque was centered over the front entry that read: Airport Hanger, Constructed by Garfield County and the Works Progress Administration, 1936-1937. The airport has been in continuous operation since built as an emergency landing facility and for the promotion of tourism. January 2, 1946, the airport was commissioned by the Federal Aviation Administration. A series of fixed base operators have leased the facility from the county. Paul and Donna Cox are the most recent operators in August 1977. Their "Aero-Copters Scenic Flights" provides plane and helicopter tours in the Bryce Canyon vicinity. This unusual hanger is a sawed log, barn-shaped structure with a gabled roof of corrugated tin. The gabled roof is supported by an intricate network of large timbers, and a half timber effect is achieved at the front gable by an angular placement of logs Prom the front facade it apepars that there are shed additions on either side of the hanger. However, only the south addition is a true shed. It contains the airport offices and waiting room. On the north side there is merely a shed overha'" with a narrow chamber on I .Yont contain the sliding door The main portion of the hanger, excluding the sheds, measures approximately 65 by 45 feet. Double sashed windows with six panes over each were placed in a continuous row on all sides of the structure, facing into the shed on the north. The native ponderosa pine logs, retaining much of the bark, used in construction of the hanger were cut as part of the CCC project to eradicate the black beetle in southern Utah The infested trees were cut and sawed at the East Fork Sevier River sawmill by volunteer Garfield County men. They hauled the logs by teams of horses to the construction site The Syrett family tractors were used to level the runway, which is 7,588 feet in length. Since the WPA only provided partial funding, the county called for local men to donate their labor towards completion of the structure. Land for the airport was donated by Ruby Syrett, J Austin Cope and others. Design of the structure and construction supervision was handled by the three county commissioners, Sam Pollock, Jennings Allen, and Walter Daly. In the realm of airplane hanger construction and design, the Garfield County Airport Hanger is truly an oddity. The bam-like construction of native materials is a testimony to the ranching agricultural background of the men who built it. Having no previous experience in designing or building an airplane hanger, they built in the style they knew with what they had The soundness of this building that has housed many an airplane bears witness to the excellence of craftsmanship and ingenuity of design The hanger is a tribute to the early days of air travel in the United States |
