Curtiss-Southwest Field was an airport outside Tulsa , Oklahoma . It was operated by the Curtiss Southwest Airline Company , founded in 1919 , which used the airport to support its efforts to sell airplanes to private businesses , notably in the expanding petroleum industry . One of Curtiss-Southwest 's planes was used for an August 14 , 1919 shipment of insecticide from Tulsa to Kansas City , promoted as the first interstate freight shipment by air . During the Tulsa race riot , this airport was the origin of planes that harassed African America rioters .
Tulsa race riot
Tulsa race riot
Curtiss-Southwest Field