Page "Howland Island" Paragraph 19

Ground for a rudimentary aircraft landing area was cleared during the mid-1930s, in anticipation that the island might eventually be used as a stopover for a commercial trans-Pacific air route and also to further U. S. territorial claims in the region against rival claims from Great Britain.

In keeping with its intended aviation role, Howland Island became a scheduled refueling stop for American pilot Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan on their round-the-world flight in 1937.

Works Progress Administration ( WPA ) funds were used by the Bureau of Air Commerce to construct three graded, unpaved runways meant to accommodate Earhart's modern twin-engined Lockheed Model 10 Electra.