The Morley Air Station was a station of the

Canadian Air Board The Air Board was Canada's first governing body for aviation, operating from 1919 to 1923. The Canadian government established the Air Board by act of Parliament on June 6, 1919, with the purpose of controlling all flying within Canada. Canada wa ...

's Flying Operations Branch located near

Morley, Alberta Morley is a First Nations settlement within the Stoney 142/143/144 Indian reserve in southern Alberta, Canada. It is located along the Canadian Pacific Railway between the Trans-Canada Highway and the Bow River, upstream from Ghost Lake. It has ...

on the

Stoney 142, 143, 144 Stoney 142, 143, 144 is an Indian reserve of the Stoney Nakoda First Nation, comprising Bearspaw, Chiniki, and Wesley First Nations in Alberta, located between the Municipal District of Bighorn No. 8 and Rocky View County. The largest commun ...

Reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...

. Morley was one of five stations established by the Flying Operations Branch during its first summer of operations in 1920. The station operated

Airco DH.4 The Aircraft Manufacturing Company Limited (Airco) was an early British aircraft manufacturer. Established during 1912, it grew rapidly during the First World War, referring to itself as the largest aircraft company in the world by 1918. Air ...

and

Airco DH.9A The Airco DH.9A was a British single-engined light bomber designed and first used shortly before the end of the First World War. It was a development of the unsuccessful Airco DH.9 bomber, featuring a strengthened structure and, crucially, repl ...

aircraft on forest fire patrols along eastern edge of the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

. The Morley air station was the first air station established in Canada for the purpose of flying forest patrols. Forest fires had been destroying large areas of the federal forest reserve on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. Valuable timber was being lost and since the forests were located in the

headwaters The headwaters of a river or stream is the farthest place in that river or stream from its estuary or downstream confluence with another river, as measured along the course of the river. It is also known as a river's source. Definition The ...

of rivers that flowed east into the prairies, there was concern that the forest destruction would affect the quality and quantity of water that was needed in the prairies for agricultural purposes. The problem was deemed serious so the government planned a ground-based lookout system, but aircraft patrols were implemented first. In August, 1920 temporary canvas hangars were set up for the aircraft and a patrol area was established running from the

Canada–United States border The border between Canada and the United States is the longest international border in the world. The terrestrial boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: Can ...

to the

Yellowhead Pass The Yellowhead Pass is a mountain pass across the Continental Divide of the Americas in the Canadian Rockies. It is located on the provincial boundary between the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, and lies within Jasper Nat ...

. Daily patrols were flown during September and October under the leadership of Squadron Leader G. M. Croil. Pilots communicated fire locations via

wireless telegraphy Wireless telegraphy or radiotelegraphy is transmission of text messages by radio waves, analogous to electrical telegraphy using cables. Before about 1910, the term ''wireless telegraphy'' was also used for other experimental technologies for ...

. By the end of the season the government determined air patrols to be successful and decided to abandon the ground-based lookout system and continue air protection in 1921. Due to strong and erratic winds in proximity to the Rocky Mountains, the Morley Air Station was moved to

High River High River is a town within the Calgary Metropolitan Region of Alberta, Canada. It is approximately south of Calgary, at the junction of Alberta Highways 2 and 23. High River had a population of 14,324 in 2021. History The community take ...

over the winter of 1920–21, and became the

High River Air Station RCAF Station High River was a station of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) located at High River, Alberta, Canada. High River Air Station The Canadian Air Board began operating the High River Air Station in January 1921 after having moved the ...

References

{{Reflist Defunct airports in Alberta 1920 establishments in Alberta