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Flying into
Chiriaco Summit ! |
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Bellanca Super Viking N4201B on the
ramp.
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Best time of the year to go? |
Fall though Spring |
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Flight time in a Super Viking from KAJO? |
0.5 hours |
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Food on the airport? |
Yes, two places |
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Fuel on airport? |
No |
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Landing or Parking fees? |
No |
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Comments about arriving and departing. |
Can't see other end of the
runway. Daytime operations only. |
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Things to do on or near the airport. |
~ Visit the General George
Patton Museum.
~ Eat at the Cafe or Foster Freeze. |
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Rate this stop with 10 being best. |
7, it's good for a couple of
hours. |
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Landing at Chiriaco
Summit |
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The airport was built for none other than
General George Patten and the area was a training ground for his
African Troops.
Today it's a popular stop for travelers and
truckers who want to gas up, get a home cooked meal, browse the unique gift shop at
the Chiriaco Summit store or enjoy a cold dessert from Fosters
Freeze.
In the early 1900's, there was a gravel road
out of Box Canyon that passed by Shaver Summit, running east toward
Blythe. With rumors of new paved road between Indio and Phoenix, Joe
Chiriaco
began constructing a building, and on August 15, 1933 Joe Chiriaco
opened his gas station and general store. He had one dollar in his
cigar box till, and that dollar remains at the Summit. That same
day, the new two-lane blacktop U.S. 60 also opened. passing in front
of Shaver Summit. With the new U.S. 60 road opening, the gas station
and general store thrived.
About the same time as Joe Chiriaco began the
business, the Metropolitan Water District began construction of the
aqueduct project that would carry water from the Colorado River to
the population basins of the Los Angeles area.
After the completion
of the aqueduct project, the desert returned to business as usual
and until the spring of 1942, when Gen. George S. Patton established
the Desert Training Center, with its headquarters at Camp Young,
adjacent to Shaver Summit. Shaver Summit was the only place of its
kind on limits to the soldiers for many miles. As Paul Wilhelm, a
former soldier in the area at the time said, "Everything about
Shaver's Summit-of-the-road dispensary drew us like bees to
blossoms."
In 1958, a rural branch of the U.S. Post
Office was opened and the name of the area was changed from Shaver
Summit to Chiriaco Summit. Today, Chiriaco Summit is a family owned
corporation with son Robert as the General Manager and daughter
Margit continuing to work in different facets of the business.
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Pictures of
Chiriaco Summit ! |
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The General George Patton
Museum |
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The General George Patton
Museum |
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The airport was formally know as Camp Young and built by General George Patton. |
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The Chiriaco Summit Cafe |
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The Chiriaco Summit Cafe on
the right. |
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