Imperial Valley press., 1929-02-20
RICHFLELD AIDS
DEVELOPMENT OF
COUNTY AIRPORT
Beacon Light To Aid
AviatOrs Has Already
Been Installed.


without a penny of expense, an out
standing Improvement of IS air
port costing approximately $25,0oG
j he city of Imperia, executed Il
lease to Rifhfield Oil Company, who
i turn leased to Highway Commu
nj es, Incorporated, tract of ap.
pco%'matc'v two and one half acres
fronting on the state highway, on
vl,ch there has been erected for the
K;chfield Oil Company, an ar1ial
Ching beacon 125 feet high, ami
visible from every d:~ect'Cr FIR
every mile. The lease runs for 20
years.
With this beacon corn oletcd, the
Richfield Oil Company will start
the erection of very beautiful
service and comfort station fer the
travelling public and FOR airport
visitors. With the many improve.
ments which the county of Imperial
is undertaking, along with those of
the Richfield Oil Company and
Highway Communities, Incorporat
ed, the Imperial County Airport
should Immediately take its place
among the foremost airports of the
state.
The decision of w. II. Cotrel, of
the Richfield Oil Company, to place
one of these units at the Imperial
County Airport, came only after six
months of deliberation and investi-
CATION. The site chosen is deemed
the most desirable in the Imperial
valley.
Installation of this unit is a part
of the very comprehensive plan of
the Richfield Oil Company as a
great public movement to tight the
airways of the Pacific coast from
the Canadian international boum
darv line to the Mexican border-a
distance of 1900 miles.
Many Requests Made
Following the announcement by
the Richfield Oil Company on July
!, 1928, of their extensive pro-
gram in this regard, they Were be-
sieged by requests and importuni-
ties from practically every COM
munity on the coast to be allotted
one of the beacons. After a survey
of the entire distance in company
with Captain G. f. Curtis, United
States government engineer in
charge of this district for the de-
partment of commerce, and Lieuten-
ant George Z. Miller, especially as
signed from the same department in
Washington for this purpose, 80
sites were definitely determined, of
which II lie within the state of
California. Imperial county is one
of this number.
In the building Of the comfort
stations, the Richfield Oil Company
are said to have far surpassed their
competitors in serving the travelling
public. Landscaping. which will fol-
low upon completion of the. build
ing, should make this a beauty
spot, and an added attraction to
the airport.
New Hotel Planned
Sufficient land has been leased
by Highway Communities, Inc, TO
provide for the building of model
Highway hotel. This company, which
is headed by a coterie of the
strongest financial interests in Los
Angeles, proposes to erect a chain
Of similar hotels at many of the
points where these beacons will be
erected, it being their thought that
this chain shall extend along the
Pacific Highway from Blaine,
Washington, to Palm City on the
Mexican border. This chain will be
operated by some Of the national
hotel companies, and it is aimed
that it shall be of a standard of
quality such as is nOn-existent
along the highways at the present
time.
Architectural drawings of the
hotel show it to be of the Spanish
type in keeping with the Richfield
construction, circular in shape, the
interior of the circle being bcauti-
fully handicapped.
Cotrel, who is general manager of
the service department of the Rich
field Oil Company, said today;
"Our determination to build at
the Imperial County Airport was
not made offhand. We believe there
are great things in store for avia-
tion in the next five years. We
found your community alive and
awake to what an airport means to