Clover Field Plaque

Can you smell the salty tang of the Pacific? Feel the ghosts of biplanes overhead? Right here, at the Clover Field Plaque, we’re standing on hallowed ground. Clover Field. A name whispered with reverence by those who remember the Golden Age of Aviation. Clover Field wasn’t just an airfield. It was a birthplace. A cradle of dreams. Officially dedicated in April 1923, Clover Field was named after local hero, Greayer “Grubby” Clover. This WWI aviator, a Los Angeles native, tragically died in a crash during a practice flight in France in 1918. Even before its official dedication, Clover Field was already making history. As early as 1917, this very spot saw aircraft landing amidst the barley fields. Then, in 1922, the Douglas Aircraft Company arrived, transforming the landscape and setting the stage for a new era of flight. Imagine the roar of those early aircraft engines echoing across the mesa. The Douglas World Cruisers. Sleek machines of their time, ready to conquer the skies. In 1924, eight brave Army airmen took off from Clover Field on a daring mission. Their goal? To circumnavigate the globe. Two planes were lost along the way. But two returned, landing triumphantly on this very soil after an epic 175-day journey. This feat cemented Douglas Aircraft’s reputation and marked Clover Field’s place in aviation history. Clover Field also witnessed the dawn of commercial aviation. The DC-1, with its innovative streamlined design, took its maiden flight from here in 1933. It ushered in the age of modern passenger air travel, forever changing the way we move across the globe. Look around you. Can you see the shadows of those magnificent machines? The ghosts of Amelia Earhart and other pioneering female aviators preparing for the Women’s Air Derby in 1929? The echoes of wartime production, with Douglas Aircraft camouflaging the entire facility to resemble a suburban neighborhood during World War II? Clover Field. More than just an airfield. It’s a monument to human ingenuity, daring, and the enduring spirit of flight. A place where history took flight.