Timeline -- 1940s

1940
The federal census shows Fayetteville’s population to be 8,212, an 11 percent increase from the 1930 population. Washington County’s total population was 41,114.

1943
The “White Hangar,” as it came to be known, is built at Drake Field to provide a home for the University of Arkansas’s College Training Detachment during World War II. War-time shortages of metal force Fayetteville officials to think of a way to build a hangar using only wood. Henry George, an assistant city engineer comes up with a design and construction begins on May 1. The building later served as headquarters for Scheduled Skyways and then became the Arkansas Air Museum in 1986.

1946
The state’s first commuter air service began on August 10. South Central Air Transport flew flights between Fayetteville and Little Rock.

1947
Washington County Judge Witt Carter appointed a county hospital commission to study the possibility of building a second hospital in Fayetteville to relieve overcrowding at City Hospital.
W.F. Sonneman built the UARK Bowl, the city’s first bowling alley on West Dickson Street across from the UARK Theatre. The bowling alley was removed in 1978 when the space was converted into shops and called the Boardwalk. Among the shops were the Boardwalk Jeans and Boardwalk Cafe. The building was remodeled in 2000 to include condominiums on the upper floors and a large meeting hall on the main floor.
Fayetteville’s municipal airport was named in honor of Dr. Noah F. Drake, the person most responsible for acquiring land for Fayetteville’s first airport.