Historical Marker

550th Night Fighter Squadron

Historical marker location:
United States Air Force Academy, Colorado
Marker installed: 1992

Activated 1 June 1944 • Inactivated 4 January 1946. World War II.

In 1913, the city of Trinidad, Colorado, became the site of the first successful oil well-drilled west of the Mississippi River. The discovery led to a boom in oil production in the region, and Colorado became a major oil-producing state.