On this day in 1970, an icon lost to time and public consciousness known as the Mud Island Airport conducted its last official day of operation.
Originally opened in 1959 (and officially known as the “Memphis Downtown Airport”), the Mud Island Airport uniquely featured a pontoon ferryboat that carried passengers across 300 feet of the Mississippi River to mainland Memphis, with their slogan being “You’re strictly uptown when you land downtown.”
The glory days of this eclectic aerodrome came to an end, however, when construction began on the Hernando de Soto Bridge (which obstructed the north end of the 3,100 foot runway).
However, new life would be breathed into the site as the attraction we now know as Mud Island River Park would open in 1982.
