Merced Municipal Airport initially consisted of 66-acres located off Highway 99 at the intersection of Snelling Road near the Santa Fe Railroad, three miles northwest of the city of Merced. Initially a private venture, on March 15, 1932, the Merced City Council approved a proposal by the Airport Committee of the Twenty-Thirty Club that the city take title to the airport site. A gift deed from Crocker-Huffman Company was accepted by the city. The airport was dedicated on April 3, 1932. For a period of five years, George Voight operated the airport under lease. This lease was cancelled in May 1936 and the City assumed responsibility for the operation and expansion of the site. That same year, the Federal Government allotted monies through the Works Project Administration (WPA) for expansion of the property, grading and drainage of the field, construction of one eight unit hangar and a cobble stone administration building.
