The field was originally constructed in 1928 by Santa Fe Railroad workers Frank G. Speakman and William Langford Franklin, using grading equipment loaned by the city after hours.

Other individuals and promoters soon became interested in Albuquerque as a crossroads location for southwestern air traffic.

However, the proximity of the field to the Sandia Mountains made pilots uneasy, and Western Air Express built a new facility, West Mesa Airport, in 1929.

The Army eventually bought the Oxnard Field property and its subsequent transfer to the federal government on April 3, 1942 restricted the runways to military use only.

[2] The field was used for the last time between 1945 and 1948, when it served as the final destination for hundreds of surplus warplanes which were assembled there for scrapping.

Another legacy of Oxnard Field is the major streets Wyoming Boulevard and Ridgecrest Drive, both of which were originally developed as airport access roads.