Named The North Platte Field, the airport was constructed in 1921 with private funds to serve the needs of the U.S. Air Mail Service. The first terminal and hangar buildings were constructed on the east side of the North Platte River, near the river bridge, just south of Highway 30. Using fuel burning barrels to demarcate the perimeter, the airfield became the site of the first night airmail flight on February 22, 1921, when the daring Jack Knight flew a night segment of the first transcontinental airmail flight. That flight originated on the west coast when two airmail planes left San Francisco at 4:30 a.m. heading east. Shortly after takeoff one of the planes crashed, leaving the other to carry on eastward. After several fuel stops and three changes of pilots, the plane landed in North Platte at 7:48 p.m. where Jack Knight was waiting to take his turn in piloting the mail to Omaha. Knight had to wait until 10:44 p.m. while mechanics repaired a broken tail skid before guiding the big De Haviland 4 aircraft into the sea of darkness and heavy clouds toward Omaha.