Harry Cowling made the first airplane flight in Escanaba on July 3, 1911, flying a Curtis biplane. The flight was very short as Mr. Cowling landed in a pine tree. Between 1911 and 1925 several barnstorming aviators including Baxter Adams, Wally Rowell, and Ernie Berg flew into Escanaba for aerial demonstrations and to offer rides to passengers.
Escanaba was the first Upper Peninsula (U.P.) town to establish a landing field and flying school, after former U.S. Army Air Cadet Walter “Wally” Arntzen offered flying lessons and pleasure rides as early as 1925. He built a small private hangar near the bay shore, but the exact location remains unclear.
The first Escanaba airport was dedicated September 20, 1928. The field was built by Upper Peninsula Airways, was constructed on 73 acres of land near the junction of U.S. 2-41 and Groos Road (County Road 426). The original hangar buildings exist today. The owner engaged Walter Arntzen as chief pilot and instructor. The airport remained at this location until the mid-1930’s.
On December 19, 1933, the City of Escanaba purchased two separate parcels of property with the intent to develop a new airport (the current airport property). Hangar construction projects commenced in 1936 as part of the Work Projects Administration Program of the mid-1930’s and were considered instrumental in the development and expansion of several airport hangars and landing fields in Michigan’s U.P.
Pioneer Aviation built the original airport terminal, which hosted a nearby flight school and small airline. In August 1969, Escanaba Municipal Airport constructed what is currently the Airport Terminal to the South of the first airport terminal. The new facility was built to better accommodate the use of Convair aircraft, along with the future anticipation of jet aircraft (Northcentral Airlines began DC-9 service soon after).
Escanaba operated the municipal airport until 1973 when the city turned over the ownership of the facility to the County of Delta. The County opted to not change the name from Delta County Airport.
Post 1978 Airline Deregulation Delta County Airport becomes an Essential Air Service airport.