Wright Field

The closure was for economic reasons, directly driven by the Bakken oil boom in the Williston area. The land on which the private airfield was located became significantly more valuable for industrial and commercial development to support the booming oil and gas industry. The owner ultimately sold or repurposed the land for this more lucrative use.

The site has been completely redeveloped and is now an industrial park. Current satellite imagery shows the land is occupied by several large commercial buildings, extensive outdoor storage yards for heavy equipment, and other infrastructure directly related to the oil and gas service industry. While the faint outlines of the former runways are still partially visible in undeveloped sections, the land has been fundamentally repurposed for industrial use.

Wright Field was a privately owned, private-use general aviation airport. It was owned by Larry Wright and was not open to the public. The airfield featured two unpaved runways in an 'X' configuration: Runway 12/30 was approximately 2,600 feet long, and Runway 3/21 was approximately 1,600 feet long. Its operations were limited to small, personal aircraft, primarily serving the needs of its owner. Its significance was local, representing a typical private airstrip that supported the region's general aviation community before the area's massive economic and physical transformation.

There are zero plans or prospects for reopening Wright Field. The site has been permanently redeveloped with significant industrial infrastructure, making a return to aviation use economically and logistically impossible. Furthermore, the area's aviation needs are now fully served by the state-of-the-art Williston Basin International Airport (KXWA), which opened in 2019 to replace the older Sloulin Field (KISN) and consolidate regional air traffic.