The airstrip was one of the first things built on Blakely Island. Besides loggers, the first visitors and residents of Blakely Island were yachters and pilots. Planes were the main means of travel to and from the island before the currently-used Paraclete Charter Service.
While the airstrip is currently used by residents who own small planes, it has not been used for mainstream or vacation travel ever since an accident that nearly caused the death of a resident.