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Air Mail in Nebraska · Nebraska History Podcast

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The following episode features a historic article from the
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Nebraska History magazine. This article may reflect the
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language and attitudes of its time and while it offers
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valuable insight into the past, may contain expressions or
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viewpoints that are outdated or offensive by today's standards.
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Any outdated terms do not reflect the current views or
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perspectives of the Nebraska State Historical Society.
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Welcome to the Nebraska History podcast.
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I'm your host, Chris Goforth. Each episode we explore articles
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written and published in Nebraska History Magazine.
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The airmail service began between Washington, DC and New
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York City in 1918. As a coast to coast service was
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being developed, Nebraska would become a key player in its
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completion. On this episode we explore the
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early history of the airmail service through the 2018 article
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Trail Above the Planes Flying Airmail through Nebraska from
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1920 to 1930 by Kathleen Alonso On January 10th, 1930, a plane
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crashed in a Blizzard 10 miles West of Sidney, NE.
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In an instant, 28 year old Charles Kenwood became the first
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airmail pilot to lose his life in the state.
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Kenwood had dropped his two flares in an attempt to locate a
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landing site, but his efforts failed.
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Witnesses speculate that he did not realize how close he was to
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the ground when he crashed landed on the farm of Ben
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Crouch, leaving debris field of 200 yards.
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After a funeral at Saint Luke's Church in South Omaha, Kenwood
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was buried at Graceland Park Cemetery.
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The most incredible thing about the fatal crash is that it had
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been so long coming, given the myriad of tragedies which define
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the beginning of the airmail service.
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In 1920 alone, 9 pilots, 5 mechanics and other staff, and a
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newly appointed district Superintendent for the Omaha to
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Chicago portion of the road died in the line of duty the
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following year. The fatalities included James T
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Christensen of Blair, NE, who failed to locate the airport in
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Cleveland, OH. One foggy day a propeller still
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tops the Danish immigrants gravestone, defining his life as
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a flyer. Public outcry and congressional
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skepticism meant that the fate of airmail in the early 1920s
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remained uncertain, but by 1930 the well established aerial
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trail across the country had become a fact of life.
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The airmail service took off, survived, and eventually thrived
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due to the influence of people in power, the determination of
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its pilots, the vision of community leaders, and the
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commitment of mechanics and other airport staff on the
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ground. It also relied on individual
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farmers, doctors, townspeople and passerby who supported local
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airfields and assisted pilots when mechanical difficulty or
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weather forced them out of the trail in the sky.
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The airmail service, in which Nebraska would become a key
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player, began between Washington, DC and New York City
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in 1918. Almost immediately after its
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creation, Albert Burleson, the Postmaster General, and Otto
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Prager, the head of the airmail service, pushed to create a
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Coast to Coast Aerial Hwy. with feeder lines from other cities
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connecting to the existing route.
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Despite the advancements in aviation during World War One,
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tremendous obstacles impeded the endeavor.
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The few airports that existed were little more than level
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fields. Pilots flew by sight, which made
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fog or unexpected storms deadly. The Post office's route required
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pilots to fly in open cockpits over treacherous mountains and
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remote sections of the western United States, with no ready
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help available in the event of an emergency.
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Despite these challenges, the first scheduled mail flew from
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New York to San Francisco via Cleveland, Chicago, Omaha,
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Cheyenne, Salt Lake City, and Reno in September of 1920.
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Less prominent fuel stops also developed airports to aid the
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pilots. A series of radio towers linked
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these cities and towns, allowing airports to communicate with
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each other regarding weather and the expected time of arrival for
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pilots. Soon after their installation,
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the new technology began providing non aviation messages
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for the benefit of the local population.
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For example, in February 1921, William Votaw, manager of the
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Omaha Airfield, received permission to transmit wireless
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weather reports to farmers in western Nebraska and eastern
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Iowa. In 1921, the Post Office feared
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that Congress, with the support of new Republican president,
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would cut funding for the fledging service.
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The post office responded with a publicity stunt of epic
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proportions. That February, 2 planes set off
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from each coast in an attempt to fly the mail non-stop across the
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country rather than transferring it to trains.
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When darkness fell, which was the usual course of action, one
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eastbound pilot died in a crash over the Nevada desert.
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The fog kept both westbound planes from leaving Chicago.
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Pilot Jack Knight became a national hero by flying from
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North Platte all the way to Chicago.
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When weather prevented his relief pilot from reaching
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Omaha, towns lit bonfires along the way to keep him on course.
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Front page headlines touted the success, and the wave of
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positive publicity became a huge asset for the new service.
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This, along with some Washington politicking, kept the service
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going. The post office's next step for
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improving the speed of delivery meant developing a strategic
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plan for permanent night flying, which involved a series of light
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beacons placed 10 to 15 miles apart between Cheyenne and
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Chicago. These would later be extended
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across the country. Pilots started testing the
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practicality of night flying in February of 1923 by making 25
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mile flights in and out of North Platte.
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Kerosene lamps marked the Platte River, which bordered the South
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edge of the field, and staff set up two bonfires to mark where
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planes should land. A highly successful nationwide
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test run followed in August for five days.
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The male left California in the morning, reached Cheyenne by
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nightfall, and Chicago by the following morning.
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The regularly scheduled night service began July 1st, 1924.
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In September 1924, the United States Airmail Service Division,
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led by Carl Egg, relocated to the federal building in Omaha.
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Egg started his career as a postal clerk in his hometown of
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Grand Island before becoming a railroad postal clerk in Omaha.
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He worked his way up to Postal Inspector in Minneapolis before
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joining the airmail service. The head office remained in
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Omaha only a short time before returning to Washington, DC in
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July of 1926. The post office airmail pilots
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did not regularly carry passengers, although
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occasionally an official or other individual received
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special permission to ride along in the extra seat.
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World War One ace Eddie Rickenbacker crashed at the
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Cheyenne field on route to Washington, DC in May of 1921,
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hitchhiked to Omaha with airmail pilot Christopher Pickup, and
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jumped in William Hobson's plane to reach Chicago.
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The development of private airlines allowed passenger
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service to really take off. By 1925, commercial aviation had
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begun to catch up with the post office.
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Congress then passed the Kelly Act, allowing the post office to
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contract airmail services to private corporations.
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The feeder routes that ran into the main transcontinental artery
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became the first to be transferred.
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But it did not take long for the post office to completely
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extract itself from the business of aviation.
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In 1927, Boeing took over the transcontinental route from San
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Francisco to Chicago, including Nebraska.
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Boeing's passenger service later became known as United Airlines.
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Airlines also bid for new routes.
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Universal Airlines instituted Nebraska's first route off of
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the main line when they began flying from Omaha to Saint Louis
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via Kansas City in May of 1929. Although this company lacked the
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longevity and prominence of Boeing, the new route
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demonstrated the continued growth of aviation.
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Nebraska's prominence with the airmail service began in January
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1919 when JA Jordan, a post office representative, arrived
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in Omaha to convince the Chamber of Commerce to build an
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airfield. According to city authorities,
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Jordan promised some reimbursement from the federal
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government, but despite pleas to congressman, none came.
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A bill which would have returned some of the city's investment
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failed to pass. In 1926, Omaha's Chamber of
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Commerce created an Aerial Transportation committee which
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reviewed several sites before arranging to lease a field from
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the Knights of Exarben near 60th and Center streets, just South
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of the racetrack. The chamber quickly began making
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improvements to the field, distinguishing 1/4 mile grass
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runway, making it visible from the air, erecting an airplane
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hanger and lowering wires in the area.
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These rudimentary requirements demonstrate how early in the
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history of aviation the Post Office began attempting its
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monumental cross country feat. Airmail's formal arrival was
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delayed for several months from fall 1919 to May of 1920 as the
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Post Office acquired planes and fine-tuned its existing
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services. On May 18th, 1920, the first
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scheduled mail plane arrived in Omaha, making it the eastern
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terminus of the airmail route. The transcontinental route
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opened in September, linking Omaha to both New York and San
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Francisco. The aerial activities at Exarban
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and all cities along the new route showcase the legacy of the
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airmail service. In May 1921, the airmail pilots
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quote observed the 3rd anniversary of the airmail
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service by carrying the mail on time, the same as they have done
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since the inauguration of mail flying here on April 15th, 1920.
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End Quote. People associated flying with
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standard business rather than the individual barnstormers or
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stunt Flyers at County Fair. Pilots had become regular
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working men rather than entrepreneurs.
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They married, raised families, promoted aviation locally, and
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became active in service organizations such as the
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American Legion and the Chamber of Commerce.
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The Army trained many young men to fly during World War One and
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the post office provided some of them with a steady, well paying
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job doing something they loved. For the most part, pilots came
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and went from the Exarben Field in their de Havilland DH4
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airplanes without incident. However, landing a plane is the
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most dangerous point of a flight, and on occasion various
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parts of town became makeshift airstrips or crash sites.
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As Arthur Cox circled for a landing during his first trip
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from Cheyenne to Omaha in December of 1920, wind blew his
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plane into a wireless tower near Exarben Field.
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Luckily, he sustained only minor injuries.
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In June 1921, Robert Ellis's plane stalled just before
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landing, causing him to crash through the Center St. fence
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South of the field, stopping 50 feet from the Dublin Inn.
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After extracting himself from his vehicle and angry, Ellis lit
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a cigarette and began hurling pet names at the plane.
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In November, William Hobson crashed into a tall Cottonwood
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tree about two miles east of the airfield.
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In March 1923, Hobson ran out of gas as he approached Omaha and
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landed in Fontenelle Park at the city's north side to refuel.
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He landed his airplane, Skids, which had replaced wheels for
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winter time travel. Mishaps also occurred on the
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ground. In June 1921, the assistant
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field manager, Frank Pendleton, ran into a propeller and ended
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up in the hospital. The story took a happier turn
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when an elevator operator named Rose Lear visited him several
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times. They were married in October
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later that year. Most incidents did not lead to
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such serious injuries. More frequently, wrecks damaged
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the planes more than their pilots or the ground crew.
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Although Exarban Field was considered one of the best
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airfields in the country upon its completion in 1920, the
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Chamber of Commerce never intended the location to be
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permanent. Almost immediately, they began
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making plans to build a municipal field elsewhere and
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considered several locations. However, the chamber had not yet
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found another location where the post office began flying
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overnight in 1924. Since the Exorbin field lacked
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lighting facilities and night flying required longer runways,
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the post office had to seek a field elsewhere.
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Ira Radar, one of the first officers at Fort Crook in
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Bellevue, decided in the early 1920s that the Army base should
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have its own airport for military endeavors.
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Though Radar had a limited budget, he and his staff,
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particularly Staff Sergeant Byron Fowler, utilized manual
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labor by soldiers, bartered with the locals, and created a
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landing strip and hanger with minimal cost to the government.
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When the post office began searching for an alternative to
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the Exarbitant Airport, Fort Crook became the obvious choice,
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particularly since the military did little regular flying at the
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time. A week before the scheduled
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transition to Fort Crook, 2 windstorms on subsequent days
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destroyed the Exarben Fields hangar and several airplanes.
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The facilities at Fort Crook proved to be adequate, although
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the post office complained about the poor roads between the main
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office downtown and the field. When Boeing took control of the
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mail service in 1927, they arranged to continue using the
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military location, although rumors circulated that they
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would move out of Omaha and relocate somewhere else.
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Potential sites included Lincoln, a proposed civilian
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field in Bellevue, Council Bluffs, IA, or possibly St.
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Joseph, MO. The stories turned out to be
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mere speculation, in part because none of the mentioned
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locations had any better facilities than in Omaha.
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The transition from government to private airmail flights went
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smoothly. Boeing hired many of the post
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office's pilots, and the veteran Flyers had no trouble with the
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transition. At 1:40 AM on July 1st, Ernest
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Ali Allison flew from Omaha to Cheyenne with Boeing's first
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batch of airmail. IO Biffle, better known for
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teaching Charles Lindbergh to fly, headed West towards
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Chicago. HG Smith and Ruben Wagner flew
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the inbound planes. Though time and technology meant
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fewer crash landings, they still did occur.
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In 1928, Norman Potter hit a Cottonwood tree while landing
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and crashed into a House of Lee Watson, a former airmail
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mechanic. Potter normally flew from Salt
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Lake City to Cheyenne and had not landed at Fort Crook at
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night before the mail burned, but luckily the pilot walked
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away. In February 1929, snow prevented
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Jack Knight from locating the Fort Crook field, and when his
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engine gave out, he crash landed north of the intended
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destination, 1/2 mile from Camp Gifford.
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William Koons drove him to the airport, while the male flew in
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and out of Government Field in Bellevue.
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The Omaha Chamber of Commerce continued planning its own
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airfield despite limited funds and mixed public opinion.
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In 1925, the city purchased some Parkland near Carter Lake with
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the intention of building a Municipal Airport.
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Dean Noise, the park's Superintendent, began the basic
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work to clear and level the area.
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In January 1927, the Metropolan Utilities District painted an
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arrow on a 200 foot wide gas container to help direct local
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aviators to the field. Although much more work would be
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required to make it acceptable for commercial use, the Chamber
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of Commerce expressed concerns that even with paved runways and
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better facilities, Boeing would not want to use the field due to
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regular fog in the area. However, by the late 1920s it
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had become clear the aviation was the way of the future and
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that Omaha indeed needed an airport.
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In July 1927, the American Legion spearheaded a campaign to
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raise money for a hangar. National excitement surrounded
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aviation aided their efforts. Clarence Chamberlain, an aviator
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from Iowa who flew from New York to Germany a week after Charles
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Lindbergh's famed transatlantic flight, visited Omaha in August.
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A week later, Lindbergh himself arrived as part of a nationwide
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tour. Landing at the Municipal
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Airport, the site of the most famous plane in the world,
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protected by a chicken wire fence, emphasized the
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rudimentary nature of the field. It is fitting that Lindbergh's
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visit provided the necessary funds for the new hangar.
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By the time the City of Omaha had begun preparing the new
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field, the standards for a modern airport had changed
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drastically. In 1920, a quarter mile strip of
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grass with a clean approach and heated hangar had been luxury
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quarters. However, by 1928, a city the
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size of Omaha needed paved runways with much more
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preparation to compare favorably with other metropolitan areas.
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After narrowly passing a bond issue for field improvements in
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the 1928 election, the city hired the Austin Aircraft
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Corporation to build the new field.
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In 1930, the open grass field had completed its transformation
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to a modern airport, and Boeing brought the airmail as well as
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its passenger service back to Omaha.
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Pilots leaving and returning to Omaha to find a new type of Rd.
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Although lacking physical substance, the new aerial Hwy.
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impacted communities which lay below it.
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While traveling across the state, pilots tended to follow a
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set course, but variations occurred due to weather
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conditions or personal preference between Omaha and
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Grand Island. Pilots could stay N near current
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Hwy. 92 or drift a little further South closer to US Hwy.
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34. The official directions from
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1920 instructed pilots to follow the section lines W out of
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Central City and fly over Saint Paul.
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Few if any pilots attempted this, although it meant a longer
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flight. Pilots traveled S to Grand
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Island and followed the Platte River to North Platte.
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From there, they followed the path of the Union Pacific
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Railroad and the Lincoln Highway, then crossed the state
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border and landed in Cheyenne, WY.
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Westbound pilots leaving Omaha reached the now unincorporated
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town of Juan, located 7 miles north of Ashland, immediately
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after crossing the Platte River. Despite a small population,
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Juan's distance from Omaha and river bottom farmland made it an
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ideal spot for unscheduled landings.
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In March of 1926, Jack Knight crashed landed when he misjudged
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the location of the emergency landing field.
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Knight was uninjured, but the plane needed repairs.
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In November of 1927, LL Bowen was flying from Cheyenne to
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Omaha. Fog prevented him from locating
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Fort Crook, so he returned to one at 1:30 AM and continued to
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Omaha at noon after the weather had cleared.
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The level terrain West of Omaha also proved to be an ideal
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testing ground for new technology such as radio
19:17
communication. On December 17th, 1923, Jack
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Knight left Omaha with a government radio engineer and
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managed to keep in touch with Omaha Airport staff for 100
19:28
miles. He reported in as he crossed the
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Platte River while traveling at 3000 feet.
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He also checked in at Mead and Grand Island.
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Despite some success with its experiments in playing to ground
19:40
communication, widespread use of the technology did not occur
19:44
until private companies began flying the mail.
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Pilots tended to fly north of Lincoln until Boeing began
19:52
landing there in 1928. This edition demonstrated a
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significant shift in the focus of the service.
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In 1920, the goal was to get the mail across the country as
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quickly as possible, and stops were selected based primarily on
20:06
fuel range of the aircraft. In 1928, some smaller fields
20:10
could be passed over and Boeing could land in places like
20:13
Lincoln if it felt the city would provide enough business.
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As pilots traveled, W rural Nebraskans became accustomed to
20:21
the droning of an engine overhead while continuing to
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assist pilots if they could not continue on.
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On April 23rd, 1923, a snowstorm forced James Murray down 4 miles
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east of Osceola, damaging a propeller.
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About 15 minutes later, Harry Smith, carrying the mail in the
20:39
other direction, landed 10 miles from the site of Murray's crash.
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The two men met up, and Murray ended up taking Smith's plane to
20:46
Omaha, while Smith took the train to North Platte.
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Pilots on a more southerly route would land closer to Benedict.
20:54
Between 1924 and 1926, fog or rain forced at least three
20:59
pilots to land near town. In at least one case, the pilot
21:03
took the mail to Osceola to be put on a train.
21:06
Frequently, if a plane went down, the post office sent
21:08
another pilot from Omaha or North Platte to retrieve the
21:11
mail. But in some cases, the train
21:13
became the better option. In 1928, Marquette, just north
21:18
of Aurora, became the site of the first airmail fatality in
21:22
the state. That February, a year after the
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service had been turned over to Boeing, Frank Yeager crashed
21:29
into a tree while flying low to avoid headwinds between Omaha
21:32
and North Platte. Yeager sustained severe injuries
21:36
when he was thrown from the plane but survived.
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His passenger, FH Craig of Cheyenne, a flying aficionado,
21:43
died at the scene. A local doctor treated Yeager
21:47
and took him to Aurora, while LL Bowen flew in from Omaha to
21:51
retrieve what remained of the mail.
21:53
Grand Island snagged an airmail spot in 1933 with much fanfare
21:58
and celebration, especially since Boeing flew passengers as
22:01
well as the mail. The position of former Greeley
22:04
County resident Harriet Hurley as a stewardess on the 1st
22:07
flight added to the city's connection.
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Hurley had gone to Denver to study nursing and worked at a
22:13
hospital when she discovered a new opportunity in aviation.
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The eastbound mail contains 7220 letters weighing nearly 100 lbs.
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As frequently occurred on inaugural flights, this included
22:26
a letter from the Mayor of Grand Island to the Mayor of Omaha,
22:29
and the Superintendent of the Airmail of Chicago came to town
22:32
for the occasion. Despite the late date of the
22:35
official connection, Grand Island was never a stranger to
22:38
the airmail pilots. It garnered a reputation as a
22:41
town with a solid airfield which could be sought out when trouble
22:45
arose between Omaha and North Platte.
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In fact, in July 1928, Jack Knight took some vacation time,
22:52
told his friends he would be fishing in Michigan, then
22:54
attempted a cross country nonstop flight.
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When the plane had a mechanical issue over Kansas.
23:00
Knight turned N to familiar country and landed in Grand
23:04
Island, where mechanics repaired the plane.
23:06
The previous year he had landed there when fog prevented him
23:10
from continuing his scheduled airmail flight from Cheyenne to
23:13
Omaha. Other pilots also utilize Grand
23:16
Island's services. Throughout the 1920s between
23:19
Grand Island and North Platte, pilots continued using
23:22
convenient fields for emergencies.
23:25
In February 1921, westward bound James Murray became disoriented
23:29
in a fog and landed a few miles north of Shelton.
23:32
The plane crashed through a fence, causing minor damage, and
23:36
came to rest in a mud hole. Local farmers used two teams of
23:40
horses to pull out the airplane, and one man loaded 3 sacks of
23:44
mail into his pickup truck to put on the next train to North
23:47
Platte. A mechanic from North Platte
23:49
came to repair the aircraft. This area also demonstrated the
23:53
value of emergency landing fields which had an overnight
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caretaker who would provide emergency assistance.
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In May of 1925, Clarence Lange landed near the town of Wood
24:04
River after becoming lost in dense fog.
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He hit a tree near the emergency landing field and the attendant
24:11
in charge of manning the light beacon came to his aid.
24:14
Another pilot and two mechanics flew in from North Platte to
24:17
retrieve the mail and salvage what they could have.
24:20
The plane fog force James Murray down near Shelton during the
24:24
night in February of 1926. He waited for about two hours,
24:29
then took off again, but another fog bank led to a crash landing
24:33
a short time later. The caretaker of the Shelton
24:36
field assisted him, and HD Slim Lewis flew in from Omaha to keep
24:40
the mail moving. Weather would always be
24:44
unpredictable, but mechanical difficulties also felt pilots.
24:48
On December 19th, 1921, Clarence Lange experienced engine trouble
24:52
and landed in the cornfield of Ernest Arbuckle, just West of
24:55
Gibbon. The farmer and the pilot
24:57
attempted to repair the plane and when that failed, Arbuckle
25:00
took Lange and his 10 sacks of mail to Gibbon so that could be
25:04
put on a train to North Platte. As planes became more reliable,
25:08
mechanical emergencies became fewer, but they still occurred.
25:12
In October of 1929, Christopher Pickup landed at the emergency
25:16
field in Elm Creek after he noticed a gas leak.
25:19
The plane caught fire about 150 feet from the air, but Pickup
25:23
got the plane down and managed to save about half of his cargo.
25:27
A relief pilot from Omaha continued the trip.
25:30
In 1919, the post office decided that North Platte would be the
25:34
best location for the second airmail stop in Nebraska.
25:37
It's location halfway between Omaha and Cheyenne.
25:41
It's railroad connections and it's size made it the most
25:44
obvious choice. That year, AR Dumphy came to
25:47
North Platte and approached Harry Dixon, president of the
25:50
Chamber of Commerce, with the request to build a municipal
25:53
airfield to host the service. Several prominent businessman
25:57
formed the North Platte Airport Terminal Company, and at least
26:00
112 men contributed a total of $18,000 to fund the airport.
26:06
Like Omaha, North Platte claimed that the post office promised to
26:10
reimburse the city for its troubles.
26:12
In January 1925, an airport representative wrote to
26:15
Congressman Robert G Simmons explaining the situation and
26:19
requesting his assistance. Congress considered a bill which
26:23
would have authorized repayment to North Platte and 16 other
26:26
cities which had funded airfields to support the post
26:29
office. Like the above mentioned
26:31
legislation for Omaha, the bill failed to pass.
26:36
The City of North Platte negotiated a lease with the
26:38
Pawnee Springs Ranch for the land and later purchased the
26:42
airport. The inventory taken when the
26:44
city took over the airport from the federal government in 1927
26:48
provides a time capsule of how an airport functioned in the
26:51
1920's. The equipment transferred to the
26:54
City of North Platte included 2 beacon lights of 36 inches and
26:58
24 inches, a 10,000 gallon crude oil tank, a 98 gallon gasoline
27:03
tank, office supplies such as carbon paper, various tools,
27:07
fire extinguishers, and an oil burning furnace.
27:10
The hangar was 80 feet by 90 feet and the office was 12 feet
27:14
by 18 feet. The rudimentary facilities in
27:17
North Platte and similar sites across the country fueled and
27:20
repaired planes for pilots. Airport staff kept up with the
27:24
necessary paperwork, sent and received information from other
27:27
cities, located emergency landing fields, and did a
27:30
million and one other things to keep the airmail moving.
27:34
These sites were the glue which kept pilots in the air.
27:38
Due to its level, terrain and low population, North Platte
27:41
gained a reputation as a place to try out new ideas.
27:45
Like Omaha, it assisted with radio testing in November and
27:49
December of 1923. More significantly, when the
27:52
post office realized that it needed to begin flying the mail
27:55
at night to remain competitive with train and Telegraph
27:58
service, North Platte became the first site of experimentation.
28:03
In 1923, airport workers set up kerosene lamps along the Platte
28:07
River, which bordered the South edge of the field, and they lit
28:10
2 fires to mark where the planes needed to land.
28:13
Occasionally airmail pilots rendered aid to local
28:16
communities. In 1923, and a Jane Bar who
28:19
lived 2 miles South of North Platte had a medical emergency.
28:23
Floodwaters prevented a doctor from reaching the house by Rd.
28:26
So Charlie Slutter, manager of the airport, called his
28:29
superiors in Cheyenne and received permission to have a
28:32
pilot fly Doctor CE Selby to the ranch.
28:35
Harry Smith obliged and the woman received treatment.
28:39
North Platte gained ties to great people of the United
28:42
States as well as the small when President Calvin Coolidge and
28:45
his wife Grace spent the summer in the Black Hills in 1927.
28:49
From mid June to September, Army pilots picked up the President's
28:53
mail in North Platte and flew it to Rapid City, SD.
28:57
Continuing, W pilots passed Chapel, which had an emergency
29:01
landing field on its golf course.
29:03
It became the site of the first emergency landing after regular
29:07
night flights began when a storm forced Frank Yeager down on July
29:11
7th, 1924, damaging the plane. Jack Knight flew in to retrieve
29:16
the mail and traveled through the storm between Grand Island
29:19
and Lexington. He commented that quote.
29:21
It was one continuous lightning flash.
29:24
I had to squint my eyes on the ground all the way to keep my
29:28
course by the beacon lights and quote.
29:31
This served as the first of many incidents which marked the
29:35
success of light beacons along the Aerial Highway.
29:39
Sydney immediately became a minor checkpoint for the airmail
29:42
service, in large part because it was roughly halfway between
29:46
Omaha and Cheyenne. At the time, Sydney, the largest
29:50
town in the area, was just transitioning from the Old West
29:53
to modern life. It began city mail delivery in
29:57
August of 1920 after houses were numbered.
30:00
In September, citizens approved a $196,000 bond issue to improve
30:05
Public Utilities. The advent of flight became yet
30:09
another improvement in the growing town.
30:12
When the post office began preparing for night flying in
30:14
1923, Sydney took the opportunity to build its own
30:18
airport. John McIntosh became the fields
30:22
caretaker, which included operation of the beacon
30:25
overnight. Emergency landing fields did not
30:28
need to be so formal. Regular pastures could be used
30:31
as long as they were kept clear of livestock at night.
30:34
Like Grand Island, Sydney would be a reliable safe haven, and
30:38
throughout the 1920s many airmail pilots landed either on
30:42
the official landing site or in other fields in the vicinity.
30:46
Despite the aforementioned circumstances of Charles
30:48
Kenwood, most landings near Sydney did not result in injury
30:52
to the pilots. In April 1927, RL Wagner landed
30:57
at the Sydney Airport due to fog.
30:59
When he took off he ended up a mile South of the usual flight
31:02
path through Lodge Pole Valley and wrecked the plane on an
31:06
outcropping, but sustained only minor injuries.
31:09
In May of 1927, rain and fog again forced Wagner down near
31:13
Sydney and in May of 1930 Wagner and Jack Knight were Co pilots
31:18
on a plane forced down by fog. Mechanical difficulties also
31:22
took their toll. In October of 1922, A westbound
31:26
plane quote offended the pilot with its odor of burning rubber,
31:30
End Quote, causing him to land in a field South of town, the
31:33
Sydney Telegraph noted. Quote It's a good thing that he
31:36
did for the thingamagig and the doodad was out of Commission,
31:40
End Quote. Luckily, pilots and mechanics
31:43
knew more about the planes workings than the local
31:45
newspaper. Several townspeople saw the
31:48
plane go down and went to assist or just be part of the
31:51
excitement. In addition to assisting pilots
31:54
landing in the area, the Sydney airport also served as a
31:57
resource for nearby towns. In February of 1928, Ernest Ali
32:02
Allison got lost in a snowstorm and began circling the town
32:05
below him, which happened to be Potter, about 20 miles West of
32:09
Sydney. The telephone operator realized
32:11
from the continued drone of the airplane's engine that the plane
32:14
was not passing the town and that the pilot was in trouble.
32:19
She called the Sydney airport. The manager advised her to
32:21
instruct some to get some flares and mark a landing field, which
32:25
the townspeople did. Allison landed safely, and
32:29
Northwestern Bell awarded the telephone operator a special
32:32
commendation for her efforts. The airmail pilots were
32:36
professional Flyers and most of the time they did their job
32:39
efficiently and according to regulations.
32:42
That being said, the personalities required for seat
32:45
of your pants flying, along with the solo nature of the work gave
32:50
pilots a degree of independence which should occasionally be
32:53
abused. Perhaps the greatest testament
32:55
to the roguishness of early pilots occurred near Kimball.
32:58
On December 21st, 1924, George Pomeroy decided to use his
33:03
government airplane to assist a friend's antelope hunting after
33:07
landing in North Platte with a freshly killed antelope.
33:10
In addition to the mail, the pilot told his superiors that a
33:13
force landing near Lodge Pole, Nebraska had caused the delay
33:17
and that he had spent some time there fixing a stabilizer.
33:20
Presumably he had an excuse for the deer as well.
33:23
Further investigation disclosed that Pomeroy actually landed on
33:27
the ranch of Charles Norberg, southwest to Kimball, where he
33:30
used the plane to herd the antelope so that Norberg could
33:33
shoot them. The following month, the
33:35
Nebraska Game of Parks Commission fined Pomeroy $100
33:39
for killing a protected animal. The post office suspended him
33:42
for 30 days without pay, but given the importance of
33:46
experienced male pilots, they chose not to fire him, and he
33:49
continued flying with the post office until they ceased
33:52
carrying the mail. After leaving Nebraska, pilots
33:55
reached Cheyenne, the beginning of a more treacherous leg of the
33:59
transcontinental route. Several pilots who regularly
34:02
flew over Nebraska lost their lives in Wyoming.
34:06
John Woodward of Mitchellville, IA crashed into the side of the
34:10
hill in Thai Siding on November 7th, 1920.
34:14
On May 7th, 1921, Walter Bunting crashed after taking off from
34:19
Cheyenne. He had been injured in the crash
34:21
in Omaha the previous December and had only been flying again
34:25
for a month. James Denti Moore met his death
34:28
on a hill near Egbert on December 24th, 1923.
34:33
And Wyoming was just the beginning.
34:35
The challenges of the western United States emphasize the
34:38
importance of Nebraska in the development of aviation.
34:41
In contrast to the uneven terrain of the Rocky and Sierra
34:44
Nevada mountains or the desolation of the Nevada
34:47
deserts, Nebraska had level terrain and a low population
34:51
density, with small towns dotting the landscape at regular
34:54
intervals. Pilots flew without the concerns
34:57
surrounding mountainous terrain, finding ready assistance in
35:00
event of an emergency. The airmail service has left an
35:03
undeniable legacy in many different areas.
35:07
The Post Office created the first organized national system
35:10
of flight, and today's modern aviation system can be traced
35:14
back to their efforts. The two seat biplanes of 1920
35:18
gave way to passenger planes of the 1930s that could hold 8 to
35:21
12 people, along with a pilot, copilot and stewardess.
35:25
As the number of planes in the air increased, standards and air
35:29
traffic control and flying practices developed.
35:32
Airplanes, navigation systems and airports all improved as the
35:37
airmail service changed flight from a novelty to a way of life.
35:41
Pilots, most of whom had flown for the Army in World War One,
35:44
used their experience with flying the mail to become key
35:47
aviation players in their own right.
35:50
Harry Smith and Allie Allison went to China and helped found
35:53
an airline there, the China National Aviation Corporation.
35:57
Jack Knight in HD Slim Lewis moved up the ranks at Boeing.
36:02
Lewis ended up in Cheyenne managing the western portion of
36:05
the airmail route. Admiral Richard E Byrd tapped
36:08
Dean Smith and his cross country experience as one of the pilots
36:12
in his expedition to Antarctica. Many of the former airmail
36:17
pilots later proved invaluable to the war effort during World
36:20
War 2. Having flown since very nearly
36:23
the dawn of aviation, this group of men had gained recognition as
36:26
some of the most experienced aviators in the world.
36:30
Allison returned to the United States and test flew bombers for
36:34
Boeing. Frank Yeager and Lewis also
36:36
assisted the war effort in this manner.
36:39
Jack Knight joined the Civil Aeronautics Administration and
36:42
later the Defense Support Corporation, which purchase
36:45
supplies such as fuel and medicine for the Army Air Corps.
36:49
Current commercial aviation in Nebraska can be directly traced
36:53
to the airmail service. Lee Bird Field in North Platte
36:57
and the Grand Island Central Regional Airport continue to
37:00
serve rural parts of the state, although the major airport for
37:03
western Nebraska is now Denver rather than Cheyenne.
37:06
Lincoln's airport also continues to serve an important role in
37:10
Omaha's Municipal Airport. The present day Eppley Airfield,
37:14
though not as prominent as the airports in Chicago or Kansas
37:18
City, continues to keep Nebraska and eastern Iowa connected to
37:22
the rest of the country. Despite the changes and growth
37:25
which have occurred, it is important to remember that these
37:28
airports and others like them across the country owe their
37:32
initial existence to the vision and hard work of the United
37:36
States Post Office. Thank you for listening to the
37:39
Nebraska History Podcast. To learn more about Nebraska
37:42
History Magazine, to listen to more podcasts, or to support our
37:45
podcast by becoming a member of the Nebraska State Historical
37:48
Society, go to history.nebraska.gov/podcast.
37:52
And don't forget to subscribe to the podcast and get notified
37:55
when we release new episodes on your favorite podcast platform.
37:59
Until next time, I'm Chris Goforth.