FARGO HECTOR FIELD





An illustration of the Hector Field terminal made shortly after its 1951 opening.

Fargo's Hector Field unveiled its new terminal in 1953, the same year it opened a drastically expanded airfield on the site of its old facility. At the time Fargo was an important stop on the route connecting the east coast of the United States with Seattle. Airlines serving the airport included Northwest Orient and North Central.

The building's design was straightforward: low-rise, topped by a four-story control tower. Ticket counters and a baggage reclaim counter were located adjacent to a passenger holdroom. Aircraft parked on the apron, and all boarding was via airstairs. FAR was not a particularly busy airport, and the terminal was well-suited to meet its needs.



Aircraft parked on the flightline of the old FAR terminal in the late 1950s.

By the late 1960s, Northwest Orient was operating 727 jet aircraft on routes though Fargo Long-range 707 jets led Northwest to drop Fargo from the presitgious New York-Seattle route, however. North Central introduced short-haul DC9 jets shortly thereafter.



Fargo's ramp is quite busy in this late 1960s view - three Northwest 727s and an Electra are parked on the apron. Note the military hangar in the background, which was located to the north of the terminal.

Throughout the 1970s the terminal remained adequate, although by the end of the decade it was beginning to show its age. Deregulation brought United and Frontier to the airport, and saw the addition of two enclosed jetbridges to the terminal. The jetways were boarded from ground level and sloped up to meet the aircraft.



An aerial view of FAR around 1980. Note the two jetbridges, one of which is attached to a Frontier 737.

By 1980 officials were planning a replacement terminal on a greefield site opposite the runway from the Hector Field terminal. Construction began in 1983 and the new Hector International Airport terminal was opened in 1986.

The old terminal was converted to general aviation uses and is still standing today. Recent photos (see below) show that the control tower has been removed, as a new tower was built closer to the 1986 terminal.



A satellite view of the Hector Field terminal from the late 1990s. The building was closed in by hangars on both sides, which made expansion difficult. Note the shadow from the old control tower on the building.



An aerial view looking north across the Hector Field site in 2000. The old terminal is at center, although the control tower is gone. Note how small and primitive the former terminal parking lot looks, as well as its proximity to the hangars.

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