A Town With an Abandoned Air Force Base: Rantoul, Illinois 5K.
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- čas přidán 3. 08. 2024
- Rantoul, Illinois is known for the abandoned Chanute Air Force Base. The field was built by the U.S. government in 1917, but the base decommissioned in 1993. Rantoul's economy suffered greatly from the closure, as over half of Rantoul's peak population of 25 thousand residents have left. In this video I drive around and check out the city of Rantoul, Illinois, and I check out what's left of the abandoned Air Force Base.
Rantoul: 0:00 - 11:12
What's Left Of Chanute Air Force Base: 11:12 - 36:03
More of Rantoul: 36:03 - 41:16
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Being an Air Force vet, it breaks my heart to see an Air Force base in shambles.
Pretty sad to see this now. I was stationed there in 1988 right after Boot camp from Lackland AFB in San Antonio, Texas, I was 21 years old. I got my Jet Engine mechanic training there. The dorms was pretty good. I had good memories of Chanute AFB and Rantoul. Thank you for posting this video.
1990 jet mech also i remember how cold it was when i was there .
Hi Danny. 1965. 43250. Then Williams field, AZ, Hahn AFB, Germany, Upper Heyford, England. All of which are now closed.
@@raycornelius5532 I went there in 1989. Good memories.
I was there from September 86 through June 87. Got my Aircraft Instruments training there. Also saw Top Gun there about 6 times. Great memories of that place.
I was there in '67 going through A/C electrical repairman (42330) school. Waitlisted for school, so we lived in one of the old quonset huts till start of school. then into the dorm. Always waited for "Pizza Pop" to come through selling pizza and soda pop in the evenings. From there, went to Ramstein AFB in Germany, and Try all over Europe and North Africa, then to Kincheloe AFB (SAC) on the UP in Michigan. Not much in Rantoul. but we always went to Champaign-Urbana for fun and games.
Chanute may be gone, but it's not forgotten. It will always live in the memories of us who were stationed there.
Me too! Jet Engine Mechanic 1982
Chanute AFB was my birthplace! In late autumn 1963. This was the last place my dad was stationed before he retired from the service and entered civilian life. Dad had told me we lived on Symington Road in the base housing area. I barely remember our days there now. But Rantoul looks like a nice quiet community. Rest In Peace, Mom and Dad! You are missed! 🇺🇸 🇺🇸
I too was born on this AFB, IN Nov 62.
Wasn’t Chuck Yeager there briefly ? I remember him breaking the sound barrier over Wilmington,Il in 62 or 63, we had the Joliet Arsenal , but they said he took off from Rantoul, shook our grade school building when he did it!
@@pamkammann1176 That's a good question. I'll have to look that up. Myself, I was born in late autumn 1963. My dad probably would have known.
@@MisterMikeTexas it was something I’ll never forget ! I don’t remember though if he was just passing through or if he was stationed there briefly or what.
I was born there in Nov 1963. All I know is that my father was trained to be some kind of missile mechanic there. I know more about Chanute from this video than I’ve ever known before about my birthplace.
I was stationed at Chanute after Boot camp as a Aircraft Environmental Systems mechanic from 81-82....I remember those long marching days to and from the dorm to school. There was a "static" display of a B-58 Hustler I can never forget about that. I didn't do much roaming around because "tech"school was very difficult so I spent the majority of my time studying. My time served in the USAF was a very exciting experience if you desire a lifelong experience join the USAF in the aircraft mechanical field.
I was there in 86. I'll never forget the B58. Awesome aircraft. I remember they had good dining halls there.
I was a environmental mechanic stationed there
It is sad. I spent 3 years at Chanute from 84-87. Bought my first car there and had many great memories.
Instructor?
dude you drive fast af. and dont even stop at the sign.
9:55: Low end apartment complexes are actually former base housing, mostly enlisted. Duplexes and multiplexes, two-story units.
Nice video. I was at Chanute Tech School 1965-66. I didn't recognize anything, knowing I was there over 50 years ago. Lived in old WW2 wooden barracks then. By the way the word Corps is pronounced Core.
I was probably sleep deprived when I recorded the VO's. Had a bad habit of doing that for a while haha.
@@ChrisHarden LOL , corpse is more appropriate sadly !
they were a fire hazard and were being burned for training in 84
So many of your videos are so familiar to us since we grew up in Central IL! Actually like riding along with you in those places and are surprised by how little they've actually changed since we moved out of state! Can't wait for more!
Was just there a month ago. Stayed in Paxton for a few days. Was so different than back home and I loved it. Went to that Walmart as well. Thanks for sharing I didn’t know this about Rantoul
I grew up in Paxton!! Been to Rantoul many times
Chris thx for taking us along on your excellent tour of Chanute and it's surrounding areas of Rantoul... I was in tech school there just over 50 years ago.. Dec of 70.. I was looking for my old barracks that was probably mixed in with those abandoned dorms.. So much has changed since I was there.. Sad to see how it has gone down hill... Well thx again for your excellent video and history of Chanute.. the most informative I've seen yet...Take care..
Okay., I must say more... All of the places you visit later are just base things... and have nothing to do with Rantoul. Rantoul has lost a crap load of people since the base closed, but the base (south east of the city) all has a similar road structure, etc. Its all government. You can see it in how the roads are laid. Not the the same as rest of city. There has been stuff trying to come in... etc. But its hard. It is a LOT of space. The place has amazing "abandoned" Elements that are fascinating. Like apocalyptic looking.
I was stationed there in 1983, trained for Parachute and Survival Equipment specialist. Met my first husband there, he was a Marine, training for Communications and Electronics specialist. There were many students from all branches there. I still have my graduation photo where we posed in front of a large aircraft.
i was at Chanute 81 for aircraft structural repair (sheetmetal) so you and I were sister shops. When i was at Eielson AK i was the shop chief for the SE shop. Packing parachutes really sucked.
I grew up and still live near Rantoul. While Chanute was open Rantoul was a very vibrant community.
Paxton ?
Thank you for doing this blog I never heard of this city in Illinois good to see these small towns
Thanks for sharing your video. Appreciate you having street signs in the lower right corner.
I first traveled with my Recuiter to Chanute in Early 1970 for my 1st Flight Physical prior to starting Officer Training School in May. While @ Chanute I slept in a WWII 2 story Open Bay Barracks.
I have returned to visit Rantoul & former Chanute Airfield many times since.
It’s been sad to see the old buildings on Base torn down and or abandoned.
But good to see some new uses of some buildings.
Just saw your post today. Little late. 😄Thanks for sharing! I was commander of the 71st Student Squadron (the building you referred to as being the Chanute Transition Center). I was stationed there from 1979-1983.
Lots of memories. Was stationed there from 87 - 93. Worked at the hospital
I worked with you at the hospital. We played on the hospital softball team together. Fun times!
I remember you ken, how in the hell are you?
I was born on Chanute base in November of 62. It broke this town and alot of hearts when this base was shut down.
I'm a huge fan of your videos. Thanks for posting!
I did my training at Chanute AFB for Air Frame Repair in Summer of 1971 sure was great to see this video, I even think I seen the Hanger I had my training in. Thank you.
In the military, "dormitories" are called "barracks".
The low income housing was once Air Force enlisted family housing.
Briefly, in the 1990's, United Airlines flirted with placing a maintenance base at Chanute, but it never materialized.
The demise of the museum was a great loss for aviation enthusiast and historians. It contained many, now rare aircraft, from the Cold War era. But they couldn't raise enough money to keep it going, and the aircraft were disbursed to other museums around the country.
And In The navy, stairways are called “ladders “. I know that because when I was in the navy, I fell down one on board a ship.
In the USAF they actually call them dormitories.
@@Inspadave that's true. I was there in '86. We called them dorms.
Brent I think the B-58 and B-36 went to the museum at Castle AFB in California, which was my first duty station after Chanute... I still remember that B-58 sitting there... Jan 71...
You are out of step with Air Force lingo... they were called barracks as you said but the correct terminology was Dormitory... we just had to do it different than the Army I guess.. when I was at Chanute the barracks was called a dorm but we used old terms also... like the guys that took a shift during the night walking around and making sure the dorm was ok... the shift was about 3 hours long and everyone got the "privilege" pulling that duty... they were called barracks guards.... who knew
Based at Chanute AFB in 1970 (32551 Avionic Instrument Systems Specialist). I'm from Michigan so the cold winter didn't bother me much. I was quartered in the old wooden barracks across the street from the new brick dorms where the mechanics and fire fighters were quartered. I enjoyed the eclectic vibe the base had. There were newer buildings scattered among the original structures. i.e. the mess hall and the brick dorms. There were also cool historical objects there as well. Like a B-36 on the flight line that we marched by on the way to classes. And a B-58 Hustler on a pedestal. I think is was by the chapel. Chanute AFB is part of my history I fondly recall. Thanks for the flashback.
I was an Aircraft Avionics instructor from 1978 to 1982.
I was in the same classes in early 1972
I am 82 now and was stationed at Chanute from 1958 to 1962. I, with my late wife lived there my last year in the Air Force. Looks unkept from my days there. Sad!
My deceased Husband and I were there beginning in 1986. He was an instructor. My son was born in the hospital there and my daughter attended her first year of school here. Wonderful memories. Sad to see it now
Me too. I learned how to be somewhat of an adult. I then went off to Travis AFB ~ Gateway to the Pacific. Worked on Lockheed C-141 & C-5A cargo aircraft. 😊 Did you know the C-5 could haul 100 Volkswagen Beetles or 1 million ping pong balls anywhere in the world?? Pretty cool I thought.
Great job, thanks for sharing.
Thanks for posting this. I was there at Chanute from May to July of 92 for my tech school for fire fighting. Some good memories. . The building you said was turned into a transition. Place for youth was where my dorm was.
I graduated from that transitional school for youth. Changed my life.
That's some cool footage and knowledge about the base. I was stationed there in the 80s a couple of different times. That one building you just went by was the barracks that I stayed in the first time I was in Chanute. That Base also used to have the world's largest static airplane display in the world. They actually had the Enola Gay there.
09:54 "This part of town appears to be occupied by low end apartment complexes"
Actually, those buildings; typical post WW2 Military family housing complex, which were essentially apartments, and in later years converted to civilian apartment complexes. Lots of them were built across the country mainly due to the "Baby Boom." I grew up in such a complex, but not in that state.
They're actually still very nice on the insides and the the real estate company renting them out charges up the arse per month. The officer quarter buildings are still very nice inside and out. You can't touch one of those for less than $100k. It's ridiculous. Plus the deeds are all locked up with the AF and a battle with the village getting them. So anyone who actually buys them might as well plan on owning it until their death
I was a NICU nurse in Urbana in the 80s, Chanute had a base hospital that delivered a lot of Airforce wives' babies. If the baby was having medical issues they would call us to transport the sick baby to our NICU. I've been there for just that reason but arriving inside an ambulance and in the dark so I can't identify what building was the base hospital back then. They were always glad to see us when we rolled in as they were not equipped to handle a sick baby.
its pretty easy to identify the hospital. it has a red medical cross on it.
I have driven past that missile so many times. My mom met my step dad, who was stationed at Chanute in the late 80's early 90's. I grew up in Paxton, just up the road from Rantoul.
Had a high school buddy with this same back story... he was a real hammerhead, had a mullet and lots of zits. Anyways, we used to smoke his step-dads Marlboros when he left his field jacket lying around. Good times!
As far as the "missile" he seemed to always have an acute awareness of long, hard objects... he went on to serve in the Navy on a submarine.
THANK YOU for this! I am from Chicago, and Chanute was my technical school (Fuels Specialist) from Feb-Apr of 1986. I had fun for the short time that I was there! Thanks again!
(Key trivia: That senior center was MY dorm!)
(@ 26:15, that big building was the base hospital)
Born and raised there. Worked on base from 89 until the day it closed. Like so many others left when it closed. Close to the HQ was housing Senoir Officer row and Senior NCO housing. Wonder if the golf course is still there. Many fond memories. Drove around there about same time you did. Broke my heart to see it now. I like to remember it when it was alive and vibrant. Thanks for the video.
I Love Watching your CZcams Videos and your awesome and i also like seeing the places you visit and I would also love to visit the places you showed on CZcams so Keep up the Good Work
Very sad. Reminds me of Blytheville Air Force Base where I grew up in the 80's in Blytheville, Arkansas.
Closed down Blytheville AFB in Dec of 92, one of the last people there. Also grew up about 20 miles east of there. Sad to see many of the buildings falling in now.
I was stationed there for school late 81-early 82; USN. Very fond memories of that time; thanks for the video!
Hard to fathom that 50+ years has gone by since I went to teach school at Chanute. The ICBM was my view from my dorm, White Hall & Grissom Hall is where we attended electronics and missile training. Great video!
I went to tech school there in 1978. Learned electronics in White Hall and Minuteman II systems at Grissom Hall
I was there four months for tech school in '77 - '78 and my squadron was in the big brick building right beside the missile gate, which I think was officially called the west gate? Drive out that gate and hook a right to go into Rantoul, or a left to go to Champaign, both of which I did frequently in my off duty time just to get away from the barracks.
I spent a few months at Chanute in 1984, loved the dining hall, I think it was called Faktour Hall.
I was stationed at Chanute AFB 89-91. I worked at the hospital. Sad to see the place now in such rough shape.
😀
Both of my sons went to Lincoln's Challange and they loved it .
My dad was there when Pearl Harbor was bombed. 1941.
Became a propeller specialist and trainer.
We went back there while the museum was open.
He commented that very few buildings were left from that time. And they had very few planes there.
From there to Lincoln NB to England where he worked on Jimmie Stewart's B17.
thank you for sharing!
Helped truck away debree from White Hall. Most of the apartments used to be base housing. Lincolns Challenge is in the new building on the base. The missle was the original location for the west gate entry. That blocked off driveway was the old hospital that has since been bought.
From what Mom and Dad told me, we lived in a four-plex on Symington. I remember it was a two-story townhouse with basement. I need to look at our old photos to jog my memory some more.
My great grandpa was stationed there. Thanks for sharing 🙏
I trained as a fire fighter at Chanute in '86. This brought back a lot of memories.
I remember a few neighbors driving the 30 or 40 miles to Rantoul AFB for their non military jobs at the base. More then just Rantoul suffered when the base closed.
This is so cool. I was stationed here in ‘82. A lot of memories!!
My Dad was career Army stationed at U of I as an ROTC instructor ‘61 to ‘64. We drove over to Chanute from Urbana once a month to buy groceries at the commissary. There was a wrecked B-17 left over from the war that they used for fire training. We always made a point of driving past it because we thought it was cool...and it was. If I remember correctly, they also had either an intact B-17 or a B-25 on display. I’m glad I got to see them as they’re pretty scarce now.
First time watching. Real nice.
I was station there when it was Chanute AFB. Was one of the last active duty to leave. Was great place , many Airmen went thru Technical School.
I was stationed there in 1973. Sad to see what became of the place.
While I have no memory of living in Rantoul as I was much too young to remember it, this video brought a tear to my eye knowing that my father had probably been in most of those buildings on the base. My family lived here in the early 70's before my father was transferred one last time in the Air Force and retired after 25 years of service, not all of them in the Air Force as he served for 10 1/2 years of his career. He just passed away last year and I am very proud of my father! I will be going to Chicago soon for work for a couple of weeks, but I am planning on making a trip to Rantoul and Champana (sp?) as I am also very interested in seeing my bithplace and where I used to live. Thank you for an awesome video preparing me for my trip there! :)
THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST DRIVE ALONG, GREAT MUSIC.
Stayed at the 72nd side of the dinning hall. A.G.E. marching to school in the winter wind some of the lighter students knocked sideways from the wind.
Back in the fall of 1987, there was a comic book store just outside 1 of the gates. There was also a musical instrument store. They sold guitars and amps. The man that worked there made and recorded his own music. His music was very American like John mellencamp. Most of the people on base and off base were poor. E-1 pay was around $550 a month. Minus $100 for the G.I. bill. It was a good place to start for people out of high school.
The former Savanna Illinois Army Depot has ground that is contaminated with unexploded munitions, so I kinda know about superfund sites of former government installations. The Army Depot was opened in 1917 and closed in about 1993 the same time as Chanute.
Sad 😮 indeed
I was stationed here 1963. To the 50th to finish basic and do the two weeks of KP. I was then moved to the 54th training Sq.
I learned to be a Air Craft electrician. The barracks were of WW2 vintage two-story wooden with a 4 x 4 block of pristine linoleum near the front door for inspection. It was Heavily cleaned and polished with neutral shoe polish. This block was never stepped on. You know I liked the place. I went on to Forbes AFB in Topeka Ka. It was SAC base until we showed up with C130B
And so on ect. ect.
MSgt JA Hicks Ret.
excellent video. thank you
Great video. Most of the bldgs I remember are gone. I was there '68 for 3 Level Trg in Aircraft Environmental Sys. Again, in '71 for 7 Level School. Born and raised in Joliet, Morris, and Coal City, 170 MI to North, approx, I was home almost every weekend. Visited many times after my '73 Discharge.
It was ATC HQ, and was an air museum for a while. They even had an aero club for a spell. Don't look the same. I couldn't watch whole vid...broke my heart!
I was stationed here for school for six months in the late 70s. Thanks!
I love your channel, born in garden city, finished school in St Clair shores. I left Michigan in 1981. I recognize the typical architecture of the former airforce base similar to kinchole ,upper peninsula and selfridge in MT Clemons, only base more modern by today's standards is Macdill down in Tampa, again great job on your channel! Your correct I have more money in my pockets since I left Illinois for Tennessee 😂👍
You deserve so many more subscribers and views... Hopefully your hard work will be rewarded.
Thank you, hopefully more videos can catch on soon
I was an AGE mech. I was there from Dec.86 to May 87. I remember one of my instructors SSGT. Luby. It was great times. I was from Chicago so I would go home almost every weekend! It's very sad to see the condition of the base. Amazing how the Government can let something go to waste!
The old saying, "Don't shoot em, Chanute em!"
If you take a left at the 9:36 mark there are two blocks of housing. That’s were I lived as a kid from about 1982-1993. Alan Ritchson lived across the from me. He played Thad in Blue Mountain State and he is now playing Jack Reacher. For me those were the good old days.
I was there in 1975 for the welding class. Chanute AFB was so cold in winter. Had to march 3 miles in the snow to get to welding school. It got over 50- below zero in winter.
I was at Chanute May to September 1990 for Air Force Technical Training school. Heavy Equipment mechanics.
I loved it there and sad to see it so run down.
So sad, was there in 1986 and had the time of my young life. RIP my old friend.
boy, does this bring back memories! stationed here for 3 months 1973 - 1974 learning sheet metal repair. Only remember the dorms (three story brick), chow hall ( had to walk to and from) and the classes held in the hanger. they drove us by buss to class except when it snowed then we marched to and from class. There were a lot fewer trees than I remember but I also never saw very much of the base then I was off to Travis AFB.
I got a tour of Chanute back in the 80’s from a married enlisted man. The ‘low income apartments’ you drove past, were where he lived with his family. Back in the day they were on-base family housing. His townhouse apartment had a utilitarian style about it, like you’d expect at a military base, but seemed comfortable enough. Those townhouses, and even the lawns at that housing complex were immaculately maintained back then. The duplex single story houses you drove past afterwards were other on-base housing for families, officers I think. Overall, back in that day, the base had a nice feel about it. Sort of a cross between a small town and a college campus. While no longer pristine, it is nice to see that despite being decommissioned decades ago, most buildings haven't been allowed to get rundown.
Thanks, great job
Loving the drone shots.
Thanks!
Grew up in Bloomington-Normal (about an hour away) and remember the jets from this base giving us sonic booms on a pretty regular basis.
I live in this town and have for 25 years. Definitely not abandoned. Also has it's good and bad just like all towns.
The Air Force base is abandoned.
Keep up the great work!
Thanks!
A J Kerr
I was there Dec 65 for jet engine training. I lived in Freeport, Il and we t home on weekends. My next pcs base was Sewart afb Smyrna, tn where i stayed until my tour of duty was up. I continued to work on airplanes for 48 years until i retired.
I was stationed at Ratoul in 1960-1961 for technical school for the GAM-77 Nuclear Cruise missile. We were in the original wooden barracks which were originally condemed in 1950's. A really cold and snowy winter convinced me that I wanted to be stationed in Florida. Ended up at Eglin AFB (Ft. Walton) doing R&D on Skybolt ALBM then Pactrick AFB (Cocoa Beach) on Minuteman. thanks for the memories. Best duty ever.
Went to Tech School there in 1992. I don't remember much but it was a huge base and I only got to see a small part of it, I remember a Pizza place right outside one of the gates, an ice cream parlor too. your video shows a lot more of Rantoul and Chanute than I ever saw. I remember thinking Rantoul was so tiny but Chanute was huge, a lot of old brick buildings. I remember the phone center, the movie theater, we did a lot of marching, a field day we won vs some Navy recruits, & some people, but I doubt I could navigate around that base now, it seemed so big back then. I also remember visiting the University of Illinois a couple times with friends, that was fun.
navigating it takes about 10 minutes driving slow you wouldnt get lost lol!
Okay more... growing up here and knowing what these neighborhoods were... they are NOW low end complexes. But they were originally housing for military staff. Various levels... apartment type for young single men, housing for small families. etc. Back in the 90s, this was all under the gates of the base. You could not even get to these neighborhoods without access though the main gates. Back in the day,. like the entire south east 1/3 of Rantoul was not accessible by non military staff.
Hey, so I just saw your video about Rantoul Illinois. I live up north in the western suburbs, so always interested in learning about that area of the state. Just an aside, I’m a runner and it is getting cold up here now which means I’m on the treadmill a lot more. Anyway, it was on the treadmill today while watching your video and I really like the first person view of your drive around. made me feel like I was running through the town in the commentary helped. Give me context.
I was one of the thousands who went to school there during my aircraft electrician training days. I remember marching past a B-36 on static display. Anyone know what happened to the aircraft there? I also went to see Jethro Tull in Champagne/Urbana during my training days. oh yeah with REO speedwagon. They got booed by locals. LOL Many memories. The year was 1971 and in 1972 I went to U-tapao ,Thailand to participate for the next 19 months of the war maintaining B-52s and KC-135s.Thanks for stirring my gray matter.
Rantoul never fails to have a windy day. My husband was Air Force and we were in Rantoul from 84-93. He got out of the military in 88 and went to work for Beech Aerospace ( Raytheon ) from 88-92. Our son was born in the hospital on that base. We moved back home to Michigan in 93 and I can honestly say I don’t miss Rantouls wind and storms. Sad to see what it’s become.
I visited chanute many times before it closed. Some of the notable things that their dining facilities were some of the best in the Air Force! I Firefighting school was there along with aircraft maintenance school. They had one of the first F 15’s in the mechanic school that broke the climb record and subsequently tweaked the fuselage so bad they couldn’t remove one of the engines! Also the ICBM training was there with complete mock ups of the launch sites and missle control rooms, the “turn the key press a button” rooms for training the maint crew and launch crew. It was quite exceptional.
Wonder what was left in the basements of those hangars??
In 1978-79 I was a Boy Scout leader for a Troop in Momence Illinois. Our Troop visited this air base. The leader and scouts stayed overnight in one of the dorms (you would not believe how hard those mattresses were!) It was very impressive. At that time the base was basically used as a training center.
All those low end apartment complexes are former military family housing units. The 'dormitories' were Bachelor Enlisted Quarters (BEQ) or Bachelor Officer Quarters (BOQ). The duplexes and single family houses were officers family quarters. At 28:05 that interesting old house was, I think the medical dispensary for the family housing area at one time. The building at 30:00 looks to have been the base hospital before the new one was built at the SW section.
Wow nostalgia …I remember taking a field trip there with my local elementary school in the late 90s! It was a fun trip. It’s sad to see it is abandoned like this now. You should check out heritage lake it’s a neat park..
my dog's favorite park
I went there in Jan 81 to become a Aircraft Structural Repair specialist. I also went back 2 more times for advanced training. Each time i went it was fricking winter. When we marched to our class at 5AM, the dang wind was blowing -500 degree air. However because it was winter, instead of having PT every Friday from 1-4 PM. we were set free for the w/end. I would haul ass to my parents home down by St Louis. I had a big old Mercury station wagon. At that time you could buy beer on base if you were 18 or over. No matter what the state law was. I bought lots of beer.
Stationed there in 75 . Luckily I only had about 75 mile drive home in Indiana. Saved my sanity by going home on weekends
Heavy equipment mechanic school
As you drive up to the headquarters building, the Base flag pole is displayed prominently in the front yard. The pole was just under 80' tall. In 1971, both halyards (flag pole ropes) broke from wear and had to be replaced. The company I worked for at the time, Skywork? of Gibson City, IL. 22 miles NW, had the only aerial truck that could reach to the top of the pole. We were contracted to replace the halyards on an emergency immediate contract. I took the ropes (5/8'' parachute cord) up and threaded them thru the pulleys and then I painted the pole white epoxy on the way down with the Base furnishing all materials. We made the Base paper because of the importance of getting the Base flag flying again and that our aerial truck was a 1938 Pirsch retired fire truck.. I've got pictures if I knew how to get them on your site. Thanks for your video, brought back old memories.
Lived on base in the late 60's...was a beautifully maintained facility. Great place to live and grow up when young. If you wanted something different Champaign/Urbana was very close.
I was here in 2003.. They have a military school there. Lincoln's Challenge Academy ran by the Illinois Air National Guard. That is the new building that you saw. I was class 20-03. It's a beautiful program for adolescents ...
Very cool video; thanks for posting. Army Air Corps is pronounced like Army Air Core, not corpse (as in a dead body). I saw where a guy from Texas bought the Base Hospital for $125,000. I have been looking at old buildings to buy for about a year. Thanks again for this great tour.
Thanks, and yeah… about that… that’s probably what will hold this video back from winning an Emmy. 🙃
That air force base is the reason I was born in Illinois!!!
I was stationed there in 1971 to attend the weather school. The school was in White Hall, a massive 3 story building that for a time was the largest military building in the US. It has now been demolished as of when this video was made. I lived in one of the old wooden barracks that were of the WWII/Korean War era, none of these appear to be left.
I recognize nothing except the huge hangers and the Minuteman missile. If I recall correctly after 50+ years, it was on the right as you entered the base from Rantoul proper.
I was there for training the summer of 89. I think my dorm was the second one (the abandoned one) shown right in the beginning.
I stayed there for 6 months. My training class was he longest on the base. They called us furniture. Because to the other classes we were they when they got there and were still there after they left.
I have been to many of those places on my bicycle back then.
At the tine I arrived I had been in the AF just a touch longer than the average kid leaving Basic, so I had rank and was able to ride my bike to class and not have to get up so early or march to class.
17:39 The field where there are weird sidewalks.. There was a large field with about 15-20 static aircraft that you could walk to.
I have seen satellite photos of the base after it was closed that a lot of them were moved to outside of the hanger (probably this aeronautical museum you spoke of later in the video).
They had a huge B-36 there. One day it was missing. So I followed the deep wheel impressions to the runway. It had been purchased and they were ripping it apart.
It was purchased with the intention of flying it out because it was supposed to be in perfect condition. Once they got inside they found it to be stripped and large cable bundles were cut.
I have photos of inside that aircraft as I also helped disassemble parts of it. I still have some part of it.
Inside one of the hangers is an ICBM in an underground silo. That is where they trained the crews to work on the missile. One day the blast door was opened and I looked down the shaft and saw the missile.
You can see the blast door in that TV show Mysteries of the abandoned.
one day there was suddenly 2 B-52s on the runway. One tan and one green. A few days later they were crushed to little pieces in 2 different piles so the Russians could take satellite photos. It was part of some treaty between us and them.
Way out by the lake was the firefighter school. There was steel mock-ups of aircraft and helicopters. They would be covered in jet fuel and set ablaze. I wonder how they cleaned that up. As I rode my bike by all I could smell was diesel fuel.
I have a bunch of photos of that place.
Every Friday I would get a cab that could take my bike and I'd go to Champaign. Ride around to a mil surplus store. Go to a vintage diner for dinner and then to Green street and drink with the college kids. Then ride my bike back to base in the dark. I never learned how far that bike ride was.
BrockDog if your out there somewhere contact me!!
My uncle was stationed there in the 60's and 70's. When I was in college at Champaign in the 70's, I used to frequent a really good hotdog stand on Rte. 45 in Rantoul. No, I never went into the strip of porno shops that also lined Rte. 45. The most notable monument was an old fighter jet set up on a pedestal right outside the base. In later years, I occasionally went back to visit U of Ill., and remember when the base was closing and that jet was being dismantled. Rantoul withered after that.
God, that water park was one of my all time favorite places in childhood! Mmm, loved a frozen Reeses peanut buttercup on a summer day at the water park concession stand! Oh, and the missile! Iconic part of childhood
I spent 6th and 7th grade there in the mid 60's, while my Father was stationed at Chanute playing Minuteman. Being previously from the South, we never saw so much snow. One of my very first jobs was paper boy for the Champaign Urbana Courier for a little area where we lived on base.
And HERE is where I spent the first 6 years of my life! I just came here from the Danville video, which was where we moved to from Rantoul.
Unlike Danville, I actually have many fond memories of Rantoul! There are a handful of parks that are great for kids. The Anabel Hueling Learning Center is of high quality. And the abandoned Chanute AFB was a source of endless exploration and fascination for us and fueled many fun ghost stories and urban legends.
There was a community center on base that we had many Christmas gatherings at. Most of my childhood Christmas family gathering photos were taken on Chanute AFB.
And the Dairy Queen was an old fashioned ORIGINAL building, too! Not sure if they've changed it since then.
I remember I would walk with my older brother from Pleasant Acres Elementary School to our baby sitter's house, and we would sometimes steal ears of corn on the way over! Lmfao...that was exciting to midwestern kids, for some reason.
We lived on Par Dr, right around when you said "low end apartment complexes." The amount of mold in those buildings was damn near criminal. Also, my aforementioned older brother got hit by a speeding car on Par. He was 10 years old at the time! Thankfully, he survived.
Also, one of those trees on Par was struck by lightning and I watched as it happened. It was probably the loudest sound I had ever heard at that point in my young life.
New subscriber now. Also, I love content like this in general. I love traveling to random obscure towns and taking photos. It's a weird hobby that few understand. Lol
I drove to random places on a regular basis by myself before starting this channel. My friends and family gave me crap for it all the time haha.
I was stationed there in 77-78 in the winter for aircraft evironmental mechanic training. Went to Germany after for 4.5 years. What a blast.