During the early 1920's airport services and activities in the Aberdeen-Hoquiam area were taking place at a small, unpaved landing strip located immediately adjacent to the Chehalis River estuary. This area is now the Port of Grays Harbor industrial area.
The airstrip operated until 1935, when it was declared unsafe for transient aircraft by the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA now FAA). When the airstrip was closed, the local chapter of the American Legion initiated steps to create a new airport on Moon Island in Grays Harbor.
With the support of the City of Hoquiam and Grays Harbor County, the American Legion's Aviation Committee succeeded in arranging for the purchase of the privately owned island by the county in 1938. The construction of an airport on Moon Island was endorsed by the CAA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the City of Aberdeen. In 1940, the Work Progress Administration (WPA) approved the airport construction project and authorized the expenditure of approximately $443,000 as part of the National Defense Program.
On January 20, 1941, the effort to build up the island with landfill and construct an airport began. During the following 13 months, an estimated 1 million cubic yards of dredge spoils were used to enlarge Moon Island to 5,300 feet in length, 500 feet in width, and 18 feet above sea level. A dike was completed, forming a roadway to Hoquiam. Additionally, a timber trestle to speed fill hauling was constructed on the West End of the Island, running north and connecting with Grays Harbor City Road. By February 13, 1942, a concrete apron had been constructed and lighted, and a 5,000-foot long by 150-foot wide runway was paved.
Immediately upon the completion of runway paving, the Army Air Corps activated Moon Island Airport. During the early period of World War II, the airport was used as a B-24 bomber base. Patrol flights and practice gunnery and bombing missions were conducted until the late summer of 1942. Throughout the remainder of the war, the Moon Island Airport was classified as an outlying field (OLF) of the U.S. Naval Auxiliary Air Station located in North Bend, Oregon. During that period of time, the airport served as a base of support for Navy training and coastal patrol flights and was used for P-38 fighter aircraft training flights.
During 1943 and 1944, additional bulkheads were constructed and dredge spoils were again used, doubling the width of Moon Island to it's present size of approximately 1,000 by 6,000 feet. The effort was conducted under the auspices of the CAA. The airport was subsequently further developed by the Navy, including the addition of a drainage system, installation of runway lights to allow nighttime operation, and a full parallel taxiway, aircraft parking apron, and new access roads were added.
Immediately following World War II, interest in developing the Moon Island Airport as a civil aviation facility was again expressed throughout Grays Harbor County and the airport was included as part of the Federal government's war surplus property. In 1946, under the provisions of the Surplus Property Act of 1944, the airport was transferred to Grays Harbor County by quitclaim deed.
The name of the airport was changed from Grays Harbor Municipal to Bowerman Field in 1953 in honor of Robert C. Bowerman, a native of Aberdeen who lost his life during the Korean War. Grays Harbor County formally approached the Port of Grays Harbor in 1961 regarding transferring the airport to its jurisdiction. The Port recognized that ownership and operations of an airport was compatible with its role of promoting regional economic development and growth, and agreed to the transfer, which became effective on January 1, 1962.
