Willows-Glenn County Airport - Willows, CA - Military Installations on Waymarking.com

The War Department acquired 318.20 acres by a lease (numbers W 868-ENG-2344 and W2972-ENG-1045) with Glenn County, California, in 1942. The site was used as an auxiliary airfield for Chico Army Air Field. The only improvement to the site was the asphalt runway. The

Fourth Air Force declared the field excess to its needs on 24 July 1944. The lease was terminated 11 June 1945.

The 318.20 acres are now owned by various public and private entities.

Nancy's Airport Cafe website briefly describes the history of this airport and tell us:

WILLOWS-GLENN COUNTY AIRPORT HISTORY

The Willows-Glenn Airport was initially a grassy field. The property for the present airport was obtained when the Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District released various parcels to the City of Willows and to Glenn County for use in developing a community airport. The government agencies turned the project over to the Veterans of Foreign Wars who formed an airport committee in conjunction with the Achaean Club, a local service organization. The Northern California Air Show Association was formed in 1931 to generate money for the purchase of the airport property. Later, the U.S. Government, through the Civil Aeronautics Administration, became involved in the airport and built runways, a beacon and a large syphon under the Glenn-Colusa Irrigation Canal to properly drain the airport.

The City of Willows deeded its property on the airport to Glenn County on December 21, 1940. On April 25, 1942, the County leased the airport to the United States Government. Runway 13-31 was constructed during the winter 1941-42. Jimmy Doolittle began the final training of his B-25 crews for the bombing raid on Japan at this airport. The U.S. Forest Service also used the airport for a base of operations for aerial forest firefighting.