Texarkana Regional Airport officials dusted off historical records Wednesday to show that the airport's runways were once made of the same substance-dust.
The history lesson helped mark the 80-year partnership between American Eagle and the airport. The airport marked the anniversary by treating passengers waiting to board to a brief recounting of the airport's story.
On June 15, 1931, the airport started commercial passenger flights with American Airways. The carrier later changed to American Airlines, the parent company of American Eagle.
A black-and-white photo taken about the same time shows a crowd of perhaps several thousand local residents standing on the airport's sod runways. The late-spring gathering were at a midday ceremony marking another first for the airport-service to and from Texarkana as the airport's Airmail Flag received a skyward hoisting.
"That day must have been as hot as it is today," said airport director Stephen Luebbert as he gazed at the old photo.
According the airport records, a local news article described citizens as being awestruck with the huge, all-metal Ford Tri-Motor aircraft. The early passenger plane, known as the Tin Goose, served American Airway's Air Mail Express Fleet from 1931 to 1936 as an eight-passenger airliner and mail carrier. It sported reclining seats and a separate baggage compartment.
Job descriptions for flight attendants included swatting flies, weighing passengers and making sure passengers didn't confuse the emergency exit with the lavatory door.
Needing longer runways for its growing fleet, American Airways suspended flights to Texarkana in 1934, but it did return to the Twin Cities after the airport paved and lighted its airfields in 1943.
By 1948, Texarkana Municipal Airport and American Airlines started passenger service with the new, 40-passenger Convair-240, one of which carried the label Flagship Texarkana.
Eventually, the airport started regional service, which is continues today.
"American Eagle and Texarkana Airport share a common beginning," Luebbert said. "Both airline and airport have benefitted from a close working relationship over many years. As the Twin Cities continues to grow, Texarkana Regional Airport and American Eagle expect to contribute to that growth. From yesteryear's sod airfield and Tin Goose to today's regional jets and soon-to-be new passenger terminal, the cities and the airline are a good example of strong public and private partners making a positive regional difference."