ABANDONED MICHIGAN: Raco Army Landing Airfield in the U.P.

In the Upper Peninsula, about halfway between Whitefish Point and Sault Ste. Marie, is a huge white triangle, easily visible on satellite maps from literally hundreds of miles away (see photo gallery below).

It's nothing alien, nothing mysterious or suspicious...it's simply an old airfield landing strip that was used in the 1940's to help protect the Soo Locks. Anyone perusing the U.P. on Google Maps may be surprised to see this massive, white triangular object appear, but it's simply an old military base, the Raco Army Airfield, seemingly in the middle of nowhere.....

Approximately 25 miles southwest of Sault Ste. Marie, the Roca Field is an interesting place to visit on a roadtrip. People who have visited the area say they didn't see any "No Trespassing" signs and drove right out onto the strip.

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Facts:
BUILT: 1940
PURPOSE: to refuel aircraft headed for Alaska and to defend the Soo Locks.
INACTIVE: after World War II, 1945
1945-1957: used as anti-aircraft artillery site
1960-1972: used as air force nuclear missile base
CLOSED FOR GOOD: 1972
CURRENT USE: Smithers Rapra Winter Test Center, testing various vehicles during cold weather conditions

According to Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: “The site of the pre-WW2 civilian Raco Landing Field was evidently reused by the military at some point after 1940 for the construction of a much more elaborate military airfield, intended to provide protection to the Sault Ste. Marie locks." However, “As no threats materialized to the locks, the airfield was apparently little-used, or possibly never used at all.”

If you look closely at satellite pictures, you can see the concrete pads that once had anti-aircraft guns installed on them.....now overgrown with foliage, but still visible.

The large circle in the center of the triangle was an automobile testing track, which was replaced by various other tracks (including snaky ones like slot-car tracks) that you can see in various areas surrounding the triangle.

The photo gallery below shows pictures of driving on the strip and drone photos along with other pictures depicting it's current use as a vehicle testing area.

Read more facts, see vintage photos, maps, outlines and more fascinating stuff on this old site at the 'Abandoned & Little Known Airfields' website by CLICKING HERE.

Take a drive up there and MAYBE you can drive on this old airstrip yourself...

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