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T........................ ......................)■!.... ..........■tt----rriT---- - - - ' _____ . .i4i**«kr''*---~Vv*k» + *aaa k ♦ k9 9 I ■ fm« M I I I lt;f I1M MlVttl.f r 4 I v«»ia#4t ii« « I I I I a»4««t a M 4M « . . .I ■ I MtMVfltl a * » 4 4 4 I a a ♦ * A ■ J p » *i « « • • i.iMliaaaM*«»««aa»»iv«l..«p.a.k..laaaiaua a r»»«»vva+*«* »a4i»i«4i4ilt;»»»«*-♦»»*■««»»........ii»«**■!«»a«i4»taa«ia »iii«a »ia a »aa«i*a«49-......■ ant»»nn ■ “ i.*4k»iH I II I a | a a »9tlkiMi I I I I P*l M • 941 * ♦ W • P Ili J / P • r P/.I ♦ ■ 4 • ♦ ■ - ............ * ..........100 Years of Grand Prairie History MlB ^ M lt;!!.!lt;............•A .ailalkAA I P f f • • • • I I I * 4 T f * ' J 1 1 ' f • “ 0nailiMP.UH.Wr I I I M a 4 p «a I f . f . - ♦ 4I r M lt;M ► ^ | . . . . » i ,mi»»p-mna44ki4ikStock and(Continued from Page 6)Poultry Show was a annual affair until.i«*aiiWi«*si^„M«Msi«s3iSiss:is:ss:ti:st25i;5s:sJ;iii5!si.:-ii-::^:-::ii;--iii-.:-iiSis:s«:5i«ifi5i^ss55?sS55S55«s::st;?s:i;r::s:Ti2Ssr:i52;«:ss::s2s:r2:::*!ss5srs2i2:::::srs32r22s:i^tis2i----ii--i..... *............*..................................... * .......................Prairie1940.In September, 1928, the Dallas City commission purchased approximately three hundred acres of land two miles east of Grand Prairie, when United States Army officials agreed they would lease the property for a military base. This site had been approved by Major William Hensley, Air Corps Commander of the Eighth Corps Area, as an air base because of the convenience of transportation to Dallas and Fort Worth. Immediately alter the establishment of this airport, it was named Hensley Field, in honor of Major Hensley. Army officials moved the headquarters of the 366th Air Reserve Squadron from Love Field to Hensley Field. Hensley Field was placed on the official army airline, with student fliers from Kelly Field, San Antonio, using this airport extensively for cross country training flights from their army .fJThis airport, cost the city of Dallas seventy-five thousand' do!lars for land and improvements, and in addition to that amount , the Dallas Chamber of Commerce contributed sixteen thousand dollars for the construction of hangers and other improvements. The United States Army operated this auxiliary airport under the terms of a twenty-year lease given by the City of Dallas in the amound of one dollar each year.By 1926 the citizens of Grand Prairie were already feeling the effect of low prices for farm products, During the depression years ail business in Grand Prairie suffered greatly. Some of the citizens were aided by charity in the form of free lood and clothing, as a- result of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation loan to aid states and their subdivisions. Grand Prairie was one of the first towns in Dallas County to oiler employment through the program of work projects on public property, which was made possible by donations to the state from the Federal Emergency Relief Administration. About five hundred Local workers were aided by this program,The Dallas city Auditor and the officials of the Dallas Power and Light Company reached an agreement over the proposed Mountain Creek Lake project in May, 1930. The idea of such a project was discussed several times in the early 1920M at joint meetings of the Dallas and Grand Prairie Chambers of Commerce. The mayor of Grand Prairie andother local delegates began intensive efforts toward the realization of this project in 1923. After the agreement in May, 11930. the Dallas City Commission purchased several hundred 'acres of land from the farmers of the Mountain Creek area for approximately torty dollars per acre. Work on the projectbegan in November. 1930, and it was completed in the fail of 1931.In i93o most, ol Grand Prairie’s industrial activity was derived from Public Work Administration projects which in-: eluded approximately twenty thousand dollars worth of school ■ construction projects and the improvement of Hensley Field.;■ In January. 1936, The Bureau of Air Service in Washington ^approved an uppl icat ion which granted Hensley Field $362,852.92! to complete runways, to extend the apron around the hanger, and to construct an addition on the hangers. Also includedin the Hensley Field expansion was the ^establishment of a gasoline service station for planes, and the building of additional quarters and garages for the officers and enlisted men. In September, 1940, Hensley Field was designated as a Naval Air Training Base. This required the federal government to spend one million dollars for additional construction so that this base could train twelve hundred fliers yearly. It also served as a base for several reserve squadrons.July, 1929, the Curtis Flying Service Corporation of New York purchased a 275 acre tract of land one mile west of the Grand Prairie corporate limits on which it established a school for advanced fliers. This flying school was not a successful business; however, a transaction was made in 1930, whereby it brcame the Grand Prairie Municipal Airport under the supervision of R. C. Kirk. After the accidental death of her husband in 1938, for a short time Mrs, Kirk attempted to operate the airport. Mr, Taeff succeeded Mrs. Kirk as the director of this airport and operated it until 1940, at which time Lou Foote purchased the Grand Prairie Municipal Airport and founded t ic Lou Foote Flvim? School During the 1940’s Mr, Foote made several improvements and added new equipment to such an extent that before the; closeof the year he was training 116 student fliers in preparation for a more advanced schooling at Randolph FielcL -•After considerable effort had been expended on the part of the Dallas Chamber of Commerce, the Grand Prairie Chamber of Commerce, the Mayor of Grand Prairie, and various other persons, the federal government made extensive surveys to determine which one of three sites under consideration would be most suitable for an airplane factory. On August 10, 1940, the manager of the Dallas Chamber of Commerce, Ben Critz, announced by way of THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS that he had received a telegram from J, H, Kindieberger, the president of North American Aviation’ Incorporated, which stated that his company had been'authorized by the War Department and the National Advisory Committee to Build an airplane factory adjacent to Hensley Field just east of Grand grairie. The site for this plant requiredseven hundred acres of land. The Army pledged the useof the Hensley Field airstrips to the plant officials.An article* in the August 23, 1940, issue of THE GRAND PRAIRIE TEXAN stated that, a great step for the betterment of Grand Prairie was made when the North American Aviation, Incorporated decided to build its factory in Grand Prairie. Tie article emphasized that the leaders in the community did not consider the development of this industrial plant as an end in itself, but they had already started planning for the further growth and development of the community, After the announcement that the airplane factory would be near Grand Prairie, each day brought, men and women from all vocations of life to the city of Grand Prairie. Mayor Turner, the president of the Chamber of Commerce, and other leading businessmen were constantly answering questions as to when and where operations would begin. The citizens of the town were im mens ley proud of the far sighted planning and establishment of citv improvements under thp leadership of G. H. Turner.The first major problem facing the citv of Grand prairie.1 r--■ T T T - T r r t ■ ■ rrsrrTWBBBTB r r ■■ ■ I..... . -♦ 4 *+ 4 A « II * » j » h » ■i k I I i I I I tl M...... * t ** *4• ,..k..l#.,,*k«.i..|iT,.,T.k*'»* — ..... .................■■■■.••««. k. •... ■ ...... . • , ...b».*.aa . .lt;■■.•••«».».»••••»••••«»*III! .III.!. ......I k • . irltt'li'H**'11 t...... II*4Pp. V.-V.v.vWeProud To Be A PortAfter Centennial SpecialBeards Shaved$1.50CONGRATULATIONSGrand PrairieonYOUR 1001b ANNIVERSARYWAGGONER’S SELECT SCHOOL108 North AN2-1465VON’S BARBER SHOP619 E. JeffersonAN2-9316Happy 100th Birthday Grand PrairiaALL AMIRfCAN ,HOM«A NO DOWN PAYMENT A LOW MONTHLYPaints PAYMENTSMinnesotal,r tutu\/nmirk□ I til T AM VAI in I ATatter the announcement of the coming ot the new industry, was that of proper housing for the employees of the factory. The city commission approved the organization of the Grand Prairie Housing Authority whereupon the committee was formed. Mayor Turner appointed B. A. Stuffiebenie, G, W, Bingham, L. O. Turner, Asa Anderson, and W. A, Brundago as the committee. The committee filed an application with the United States Housing Authority at Washington for an appropriation of $3,000,000 under the Defense Emergency Program for a housing project for Grand Prairie. Architects were retained by this local Housing Authority as consultants for a housing program that would build one thousand or more new homes of modern type. Tentative plans called for the purchase of some two hundred acres of land adjacent to the city upon which to build a housing project. Plans were laid out for necessary streets, alleys, park sites, and playgrounds.Mayor Turner announced that the city would enforce all zoning laws insofar as possible to prevent the establishment of small unsanitary additions at the outskirts of the corporation limits. The development of the business section was to depend largely upon the property owners.In 1915 Ross Simpson established a small electric plant in Grand Prairie giving the citizens a twenty-five cycle current for lights as well as for smaller motors in businessestablishments. Each day In? turned the current on In the late afternoon and usually turned it off shortly after nine o'clock in the evening. After Mr. Simpson left Grand Prairie during the year 1915, the town was without any electricity for two or three months, until the North Texas Traction Companx established a similar .service. After the Traction Company had been in possession of the plant a short while, it changed the service to a sixty cycle current. Because of ihis change the Traction Company collected, rewound, and returned all the electric motors in the town. In September. lo.Ui, the Texas Electric Company purchased the rights o? the Nlt;uth Texas Traction Company and appointed S. K. Wine as diMjam manager. Mr. Wine lad been with the North Texas Tr.u t i-Company for eight years. The Texas Electric S‘*rv ice Company constructed a large office building next dour ?o ibt pom office in Grand Prairie.Soon after the end of World War 1 Hie re wen. hvowem parties celebrating the return of the soldiers. In the yea i before 1930 there were several souiai organizatinns and uiauv social activities in the community. During the depression years ol the 1930’s there was a noticeable decline in local participation of social and civic organizations to such an extent that a few of them disbanded.The year 1920 ushered a fifteen year per iod of general law breaking in the town and the surrounding area. At firstpetty thievery occurred frequently, then there followed a fewyears of unusually reckless driving within the town. From 1930-34 a wave of bank robberies and armed hold-ups swept this part of the country.Grand Prairie was predominately an agricultural community throughout the period of |9|S ilt;» I'M!, Wh-o . m i lemon and crop farmers sufferelt;i a below normal annual income, almost the entire town was effected. Beginning m 1920 a movement for general improvement praciLes received support from local civic organizations.In the early 1920’s there begun a sidewalk cwiim mcnon campaign, which was accepted so slowly that it was still in the progress in 1940. Economic conditions were sir h inihe cjiiy 1930 s Ihiit people were Cautious in making e\nenditures on their propert ies.Conveniences such as electricity, gas, wafer, and sewerage were slowly extended into additional parts of town, i v«.u as late as 1934 the city commission promised to enforce the ordinance prohibiting the building or the used of outdoortoilets. In August. 1930,^the Lone Star Gas Gompum purchased the franchise of the County (Lis Company and continued the expansion of this service as communm. needsdemanded.In the latter part of 1940, after the official aimoun,enu nt that the North American Aviation, Incorporated would be const ructed-in Grand Prairie, the people of Gram! prairie began making their plans for the immediate fumre. The eitv officials began making preparations to build business houses, adequate to meet increased demands of commerce: increase its school facilities, to be able to take care of hundreds of additional children; double its fire and police system, io serve an area greater than the entire existing sysiem; ami provide housing for more than a thousand new families.
Newspaper Details
Grand Prairie News Texan
Grand Prairie, Texas, US
Sun, May 26, 1963
Page 24
Full Page
Clipped by
James B.
TX, USA 27 Oct 2021
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