Following the war, construction began and the airport was named after the now-deceased K.I. Sawyer. The first commercial flights at the airport were made by Nationwide Airlines in 1949 with shuttles to Detroit making stops in Escanaba, Iron Mountain and Menominee.

In response to Cold War tensions, in February 1954, the U.S. Air Force announced plans to expand its chain of bases guarding America’s borders against Soviet attacks. Sawyer was chosen to become one of the new bases due to its strategic location to intercept an attack on Detroit, originating in Siberia and coming over the North Pole. Negotiations between the federal government and the County of Marquette led to the signing of a 99-year lease on January 24, 1955 and the subsequent construction of a $12 million base.

K. I. Sawyer Airport officially opened as a joint civilian-military facility on April 8, 1956 with Lt. Col. Robert L. Brocklehurst who had overseen the construction serving as the first base commander. At the time, it had 850 airmen and 140 officers stationed there, along with 135 civilians directly employed by the Air Force. The Air Force proposed building a new civil airport in Negaunee Township for $447,000 which would allow the military sole use of Sawyer. The new Negaunee Township airport opened to commercial aviation in July 1957. In addition to building the new airport in Negaunee Township, the Department of Defense also built or rebuilt To learn more about Michigan Aviation at K. I. Sawyer and other air bases, join the History Center for a live online presentation at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 9. Register ahead on the history center’s website’s events page, or scan this QR code below. It is $5 to join this online program.[/caption] significant portions of a number of highways in area, including M-35, M-94, and what was then County Road 553.

The facility was originally part of the ADC (Air Defense Command) and was intended as a limited-capability fighter-interceptor base against an enemy bomber attack but this did not last. Following the launch of Sputnik in October 1957, changes in the American defense strategy led to Sawyer becoming a SAC (Strategic Air Command) dispersal base as part of the strategic nuclear deterrent. Despite being announced in January 1958, the SAC did not become an operational tenant at Sawyer until August 1960. The official opening of K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base as a strictly military operation occurred on May 8, 1959. The first fighter, an F-101 Voodoo, touched down at Sawyer in October 1959.

Lt. Col. Robert L. Brocklehurst, the first base commander is shown. (Photo courtesy of the Marquette Regional History Center)

The base was home to a SAGE (Semi-Automatic Ground Environment System) center which was placed into operation in November 1959. The SAGE system was a computer-based air warning network that processed multiple information sources and generated battle orders for the jet interceptors and other weapons in the air defense system. The Sault Sainte Marie Air Defense Sector based at K. I. Sawyer covered part of Minnesota, the northern half of Wisconsin, all of the Upper Peninsula and the northern quarter of the Lower Peninsula.

Located in a windowless, four-story building made of blast-resistance reinforced concrete, the SAGE center had six-foot thick exterior walls with additional interior walls 12 inches thick. The system relied on redundancies including two 275-ton IBM computers (the largest and fastest in the world at the time), six diesel generators and a massive air conditioning system to keep the computers from overheating. Despite spending an estimated $40 million on the SAGE complex alone, it was only operational for five years.

K.I. Sawyer remained a vital part of Marquette County and its economy for nearly 40 years before closing in September 1995. It brought in millions of dollars of federal investment, providing local construction jobs in addition to civilian jobs at the base, and bringing thousands of new customers to local businesses. It also brought a new measure of diversity to the area, as for the first time significant numbers of Hispanic, Asian, and African-American servicemen discovered the beauty of the U.P. Some of them were among the many who returned to the area with their families after their military service was completed, setting down their own roots in Marquette County.

To learn more about Michigan Aviation at K. I. Sawyer and other air bases, join the History Center for a live online presentation at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 9. Meet the author of the 2021 book Michigan Aviation: People and Places that Changed History, Barry Levine. Hear stories about the history and human interest stories of the three former Michigan Strategic Air Command bases – K. I. Sawyer, Kincheloe, and Wurtsmith.

Levine will also discuss the 1971 crash of a B-52 bomber in Little Traverse Bay. All nine aircrew died, but the area narrowly avoided an environmental catastrophe – the B-52 was about a minute’s flight time away from the Big Rock Nuclear Power Plant.

Books are available for purchase in our gift store. Register ahead on our website events page, or scan this QR code below. It is $5 to join this online program.