Founder of the first airport in Cook County, Clarence J. Krotz to be inducted into the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame

A northern Minnesota aviation leader with Cook County roots will join the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame in 2025.

On June 11, the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame announced that Clarence J. Krotz, a WWII bomber pilot and founder of the first airport in Cook County, will be
inducted in 2025.

After serving as a B-26 Lockheed Martin Marauder Bomber pilot with the 432nd Bomber Squadron in World War II, First Lieutenant Krotz arrived in Cook County in 1945 and began implementing his dream of operating a lodge and airport. The first of its kind in Cook County.

Over two years, Krotz developed a lodge, dirt airstrip, and seaplane base at Devils Track Lake, at the current site of Skyport Lodge. In 1948, the State Aeronautics Department issued the Skyport airfield the first airport license in Cook County and designated it the official Cook County airport.

The addition of an airport in remote northeastern Minnesota greatly expanded aviation traffic and access to the Arrowhead region. The development of the airport contributed to the growth of the aviation community in Cook County and northern Minnesota.

After having to sell his airport to the State of Minnesota in the 1960s, Krotz managed the Devil Track Municipal Airport as a volunteer for 32 years while running his flying business and operating his seaplane base at Skyport Lodge.

Krotz and his impact on aviation in Cook County is the subject of the Cook County Historical Society’s newest book, Chasing the North Wind, written by his daughter, Kathy Krotz-Finn. The book has received an outpouring of support and interest not only from within Cook County but also from many touched by the history of aviation.

“[Richard] Struck saw the historical story and impact Krotz had on aviation in Cook County, helped write Chasing the North Wind, and heavily advocated the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame to have him included as an inductee,” Katie Clark, Executive Director of the Cook County Historical Society said. “We are so grateful for his dedication and for partnering with us to be able to share and preserve the story of the Krotz family.”

Below is an video interview with his daughter, Kathy Krotz-Finn:

The 2025 Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame induction banquet will be held on Saturday, April 12, 2025, at the Mystic Lake Center in Prior Lake, Minn. The Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame said the 2025 inductees are part of a distinguished group of aviators and aerospace pioneers whose contributions have significantly shaped Minnesota’s rich aviation heritage.

Krotz is one of seven Hall of Fame inductees.

Kalli Hawkins June 24, 2024