Continued from yesterday.
Shortly afterward, three army officers were on their way to the Chicago area to pick the best of nine possible sites. The other city picked for a new Douglas plant was Oklahoma City (also on Route 66) It would build two-engine DC-3 transports referred to as the C-47 by the Army.
Other Illinois sites were Ford Airfield in Lansing, Rubinkam Airpot in Harvey; small airports in St. Charles, Aurora, and Joliet; undeveloped tracts near Orchard Place near Bensenville; and two open sites near Chicago's Municipal Airport (now Midway).
Orchard Place was chosen because of the availability of land, good drainage, and nearby railroads for transportation.
The airport adjoining the Douglas C-54 plant was originally called Orchard Douglas Field which is where the ORD luggage tags comes from.
WORK BEGINS AND BIRTH OF O'HARE
Trees, fences and farm buildings were removed starting in July 1942, just one month after the project was accepted. Construction on the first building and all four runways also began. The main building was a 42-acre behemoth and construction began on that August 24th. Within three months, planes were being built.
Once the war ended, Douglas no longer needed it and asked the government if it could be converted into a civilian field to relieve congestion at Municipal Airport. permission was granted and Douglas dropped from name.
In 1949, Chicago Tribune publisher suggested the name be changed to O'Hare to honor WW II Navy ace Edward "Butch" O'Hare and City Council agreed. Municipal Airport's name was renamed for the Battle of Midway the same year (I didn't know that).
I have flown into and out of O'Hare many times. When i first graduated from college, I drove people back and forth to the airport from the Sheraton-Walden Hotel in Schaumburg and later from the Holiday Inn in Wheeling-Northbrook.
I also thought the ORD tags on luggage were from ORcharD Field, but now I know the D is from Douglas. You learn something every day. I also thought Midway got its way because it was midway through Chicago.
So, That's the Story of O'Hare. --Old Coot
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