Perkins Field | Overton, Nevada | U08

Perkins Field Heritage

Perkins Field stands as more than a rural airport in the Moapa Valley. It carries the names and memory of two local men. Woodruff Perkins and Elwood Perkins gave their lives in service to their country during World War I and World War II.

This page preserves the history, sacrifice, aviation heritage, and community stories connected to Perkins Field and the generations who have helped shape aviation in Southern Nevada.

Honoring sacrifice, aviation, and community memory.

The Men Behind the Name

Woodruff Perkins & Elwood Perkins

Perkins Field was named in memory of two local men whose lives and service connect this rural airport to a larger story of sacrifice, duty, and remembrance.

World War I

Woodruff Perkins

Private First Class, U.S. Army
Company D, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division

Born December 19, 1893, in St. Thomas, Nevada
Died May 16, 1918, from wounds received in battle
Buried at Somme American Cemetery, Bony, France
Remembered as the first local soldier killed in World War I

World War II

Elwood Perkins

Technician Fourth Grade, U.S. Army
60th Engineer Combat Battalion, 35th Infantry Division

Born January 15, 1905, in Clark County, Nevada
From Overton, Clark County, Nevada
Killed in action October 10, 1944, in France
Buried at Pioneer Hill Cemetery, Overton, Nevada

Never Forget:

Woodruff Perkins was the first Nevada boy to make the supreme sacrifice for his country in war and is numbered with his nation’s heroes, who sleep today on foreign soil in “Flanders Field” where the poppies grow beneath the sod consecrated by the blood of those noble men who fought and fell, that democracy might be preserved.

Elwood Perkins served with honor in the United States Army. May his heroic example inspire perseverance, clarity, conscience, peace, mutual respect, and equality for all.

Continuing Remembrance

Honoring Those Who Served

The memory of Elwood Perkins continues within the Moapa Valley veteran community through the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post which bears his name. Their continued presence reflects an enduring commitment to remembrance, service, and community.

Visit VFW Post 8336

Early Aviation in Moapa Valley

From Airway Beacons to Perkins Field

Aviation reached the Moapa Valley when airplanes were still young. Long before today’s airport facilities, the region was connected to a national system of airway beacons used by Air Mail pilots flying at night.

Those beacon lights, spaced across the country, helped pilots navigate from point to point before modern electronic navigation became common.

Over time, local aviation shifted from beacon routes and rough landing areas to the present airport site near Overton, where Perkins Field would eventually become an important public-use airport for the community.

1920s

Early aviation activity in the Moapa Valley was tied to the Airway Beacon System, which helped guide night-flying Air Mail pilots across the region.

Early 1930s

The Overton airport began taking shape at its current location after local residents cleared and leveled a runway using simple equipment and practical effort.

1947

The airport was officially established as an emergency landing area for aircraft departing Nellis Air Force Base.

1949

Clark County took over operation and maintenance, and the runway was paved soon after.

1999

Perkins Field saw major improvements, including taxiway construction, ramp expansion, runway resurfacing, lighting upgrades, and approval for hangar development.

Perkins Field’s story is both local and national: from airway beacons and emergency military use to community aviation, youth outreach, and the preservation of rural flying culture in Southern Nevada.

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