National and State Registers of Historic Places
Strother Field Tetrahedron Wind Indicator
22215 Tupper Street
Winfield (Cowley County)
Listed in National Register
Apr 14, 2015
Architect: Not listed
Category: air-related
Thematic Nomination: World War II-Era Aviation-Related Resources of Kansas
This tetrahedron wind indicator once functioned as a part of the World War II-era Strother Army Air Field in its role in the Battle of Kansas, a highly significant effort to train pilots and test, build, and deliver airplanes to the Pacific front during World War II. Strother Field is centrally located between Winfield and Arkansas City in Cowley County and was named for Captain Donald Root Strother, the first Cowley County pilot killed in World War II over Java. The field was built in 1942 with four runways: two parallel runways with a north-south orientation and two perpendicular crosswind runways in a northeast-southwest orientation. The wind indicator, which alerted pilots to wind direction to aid in landing aircraft, is centered midfield in its original location. It is a three-dimensional triangular object measuring approximately 27 feet long, 15 feet wide, and 15 feet tall. The exterior is galvanized tin with lights along the edges. Just five World War II-era tetrahedron wind indicators are known to exist at former Kansas airfields. It was nominated as part of the "World War II-era Aviation-Related Facilities of Kansas" multiple property nomination in the areas of military and engineering.
