Remembering a Legacy
A Visit to the K.I. Sawyer Heritage Air Museum
Museum History
From the outside, the K.I. Sawyer Heritage Air Museum seems modest, tucked into the community that once thrived around K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base. But stepping inside feels like opening a diary of decades spent on alert, in service, and in transition.
The story begins in the mid-1950s, when the U.S. Air Force secured a 99-year lease in 1955 to build what would become K.I. Sawyer AFB. The runway arrived first, followed by the supporting facilities, and by 1956 the base officially opened. For nearly forty years, it served as a key site for Strategic Air Command, sending aircraft and crews into the skies during some of the tensest moments of the Cold War.
When the base closed in 1995, there was a real fear that its past might slip away. But even before the gates shut, a small group from the local Air Force Association had already taken action. In 1993 they formed the Heritage Air Museum to preserve the stories, machines, and memories that defined life at the base. Over the years, the museum relocated from a gymnasium to its current home in the former Silver Wings Recreation Center on Third Street, right in the heart of what is now the Gwinn/K.I. Sawyer community.
What Visitors Encounter Inside
Walking through the museum today, a visitor is met with aircraft that once dominated the base's airspace. The Boeing B-52D Stratofortress sits as a reminder of America's long-range deterrence. Nearby, the Convair F-106A Delta Dart and McDonnell F-101B Voodoo evoke the urgency of air defense, while the General Dynamics FB-111A Aardvark and Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star tell their own stories of training, readiness, and global missions. Even the ADM-20 Quail decoy missile appears in the collection, a relic of strategic deception during a fraught era.
Inside the building, photographs, uniforms, and personal artifacts offer glimpses into daily life on the base. Some items speak to routine; others reflect deployments and moments when global tensions were felt in the quiet forests of the Upper Peninsula. Outside, the static aircraft displays allow visitors to walk right up to the planes—close enough to sense their size, engineering, and lingering presence.
In 2023, the museum added a memorial dedicated to all who served. It honors not only those who gave their lives, but also the many who returned home and carried their experiences into everyday life without fanfare.
Visitor Information
Location: 402 Third Street, Gwinn (K.I. Sawyer), MI 49841
Hours:
- Summer (Apr 16 - Dec 14): Wednesday through Sunday, 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
- Winter (Dec 15 - Apr 15): Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Special appointments are available by calling 906-346-2251.
Admission: Free; supported by donations, volunteers, and a small gift shop.
Contact: upkisham@gmail.com or 906-346-2251.
As today's entry closes, the museum stands not just as a collection of artifacts, but as a testament to the people who lived, worked, and served at K.I. Sawyer. Anyone who walks through its doors leaves with a deeper sense of the region’s identity and the legacy etched into its runways and hangars.
To learn more please visit www.kisawyerheritageairmuseum.org