June 18, 2024: On June 11, 2024, 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. Inductees are part of a distinguished group of aviators and aerospace pioneers whose contributions have significantly shaped Minnesota’s rich aviation heritage.
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, MN where he planned and built his airport from 1945-1948, and was issued the first airport license in Cook County by the State Aeronautics Department. The airport greatly opened up the Arrowhead region to aviation traffic. After having to sell his airport to the State of Minnesota, Clarence went on to manage the Devil Track Municipal Airport as a volunteer for the next 32 years while running his flying business and operating his seaplane base and Skyport Lodge.
Krotz and his impact on aviation in Cook County are the subject of Cook County Historical Society’s newest book, Chasing the North Wind, written by his daughter, Kathy Krotz-Finn, with Richard Struck, foreword by Wolfgang Greiner, and edited by Rose Arrowsmith. The book has received an outpouring of support and interest not only from within Cook County but 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 to 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.”
The 2025 Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame Induction Banquet will be held on Saturday, April 12th, at the Mystic Lake Center in Prior Lake, MN.
To learn more about Chasing the North Wind, visit the Historical Society website at https://www.cookcountyhistory.org/shop/chasing-the-north-wind.
