The 1920s were an exciting time for aviation. In
less than 20 years, planes had gone from flimsy
contraptions capable only of brief hops of a few
hundred feet to sleek, powerful machines capable
of cross-country flights and beyond. The small but
progressive town of Wausau wanted to be part of
the excitement in the air.
In August of 1927, a committee presented a report
to the Wausau City Council, suggesting an
airfield be built on 90 acres of farmland then
owned by Herman Radtke on the south edge of
the city. The committee noted the need for an
airport in the community, saying that “the growth
and rapid development of aviation in the United
States in recent years, particularly during the past
year, makes it evident that something must be
done by every progressive and lively community
to keep pace with the progress in that line.”
Wausau would strive to prove it was one such
progressive and lively community over the next
year. With the help of local business leaders and
aviation enthusiasts Ben and Judd Alexander,
the airport quickly took shape.
The former farm fields were turned into a marker of
modernity, as a simple landing field was finished
by September, and the first hangar was being
built by November. The following spring, other
final improvements were finished including
adding electric illumination.
Alexander Airport was officially dedicated with
great fanfare in June 1928. It was just in time for
the arrival of some of the leading American
aviators as a stop on the Ford National Reliability
Air Tour —notably the ultimate winner of the tour,
Wausau’s own John Wood.
The city would continue to expand the airport,
including purchasing the airport from the
Alexander brothers in 1936 and renaming it to
the Wausau Municipal Airport in 1952. And the
airport continues to be well used by private and
corporate planes, though commercial passengers
now pass through the Central Wisconsin Airport
in Mosinee.
