Wiley Updike Airport

The airport was a private airfield owned and operated by local farmer and pilot Wiley E. Updike. While the exact reason is not officially documented, the closure is characteristic of private farm strips. It was likely closed after the owner ceased his personal aviation activities due to age, health, or other personal reasons. There is no evidence suggesting closure due to a specific accident, commercial economic failure, or military conversion.

The site of the former airport has been fully reclaimed for agriculture. Modern satellite imagery of the coordinates (41.625301, -88.574501) shows the land is now an actively cultivated farm field. There are no visible remnants of the runway, hangars, or any other aviation-related infrastructure. The land is indistinguishable from the surrounding farmland, though the original farmstead buildings remain nearby.

Wiley Updike Airport was a classic example of a private-use general aviation airfield, or 'farm strip,' that was common across the American Midwest. Established between 1961 and 1963, its primary purpose was to support the recreational flying of its owner and namesake, Wiley Updike, and likely a small circle of local pilots. Operations were limited to small, single-engine aircraft. The airport consisted of a single unpaved turf runway, noted on charts as being 2,600 feet long. It held no commercial or military significance but was a part of the local general aviation fabric of its time.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Wiley Updike Airport. The land is privately owned, has been used exclusively for farming for over 30 years, and the original owner and operator is deceased. Re-establishing an airport at this location is considered nonexistent and highly improbable.