Midwest City: Oklahoma's First Model Aviation Town
Take a trip back in time to the founding of Midwest City with our new mini exhibit! Now on display in the Oklahoma Room at the Downtown Library, guests can view a variety of materials showcasing the history of Midwest City when it became an official neighborhood in the southeast area of Oklahoma City.
In 1942, Oklahoma City's population grew with the creation of the Midwest Air Depot and Douglas Aircraft Company.
W.P. "Bill" Atkinson, former journalist turned city builder, created a plan for the first model town devoted to aviation in Oklahoma.
On January 13, 1948, Midwest Air Depot was renamed to Tinker Air Force Base to honor Major General Clarence Tinker, a member of Osage Nation, from Pawhuska, Oklahoma. Tinker was the first American general to be killed on a mission in World War II leading a flight of B-24's Liberators near Wake Island.
The Midwest City mini exhibit includes a plethora of items from the John Dunning III Collection, The City of Oklahoma City Collection, and the Yearbook Collection. Materials include photographs, yearbooks, advertisements and magazines on display, as well as a Midwest City Junior Service League cookbook and artifacts from Tinker Air Force Base such as an electrician's identification badge, ashtray, "Save Tinker 4 Oklahoma" button, Tinker Field Exchange matchbox and even a metal lunch pail!
If you're interested in learning more about Midwest City's history, fly over to the the March '25 edition of Metropolitan Library System's monthly Info Mag. The article, "Oklahoma's First Model Aviation Town," written by Special Collections Librarian Lisa Bradley, shares the in-depth story about Atkinson's plan for the town's infrastructure and the early development of Midwest City's homes, school, Skytrain Theatre and library.
Read the full article (pg. 9): bit.ly/InfoMagMar25
We welcome your feedback! Email us at Special.Collections@MetroLibrary.org with your thoughts or ideas for future articles and posts.
All images showcased here are part of Metro Library’s Special Collections and Research archives.