A Magazine Exploring Indiana History IndianaThe Historian AviationAviation inin IndianaIndiana Indiana’s aviation history articles in this issue. At the top of includes many firsts—some are these pages, several topics have Focus provided throughout this issue. been covered in more depth. Hoosiers have been part of many On pages 9-14, six Indiana Cover illustration: View of other significant events and historical markers relating to Lafayette, Indiana on August 16, activities. aviation history have been high- 1859 with the balloon Jupiter of This issue provides an intro- lighted. The Indiana Historical Professor John Wise preparing for a flight to New York that would be duction to the rich aviation history Bureau administers the historical the first delivery of U.S. Post Office that exists in communities marker program. Six communities mail by air. An accident delayed throughout the state. “You be the have commemorated and cel- the flight until August 17. Wise only reached Crawfordsville, historian,” at the bottom of this ebrated their local history with Indiana, but it was the first official page, suggests some ways that these markers. Readers are en- airmail (see p. 4). students—and other readers—can couraged to inquire about the Photograph provided by Indiana explore and document their local program. A complete list of mark- Division, Indiana State Library. aviation history. ers is available on the Historical On page 3, two maps provide Bureau Web site a 1944 snapshot-view of the effect (www.statelib.lib.in.us/www/ihb/ of aviation in Indiana. The maps ihb.html). are part of a report that resulted On page 15, “Selected Re- in the creation of the Aeronautics sources” is provided. Readers Commission of Indiana in 1945. should note additional sources On page 4, a three-part with individual articles through- approach is begun in presenting out the issue. Readers are also aspects of Indiana’s story. At the encouraged to explore the bottom of the page is a national/ Internet. Several Web sites are international timeline to provide cited in this issue. Web sites were context for the Indiana story; it also located that expand on topics The Indiana Historian continues through page 14. U.S. covered—or not able to be cov- June 1998 ISSN 1071-3301 entries are in blue in order to ered—in this issue. Order Number 7044 Editor distinguish the national story The back cover illustration of Pamela J. Bennett more easily. On pages 4-8, an Hoosier astronaut David Wolf Lead Researcher Paula A. Bongen Indiana timeline is printed above seems to be an appropriate close Designer the national/international to this issue, which starts with the Dani B. Pfaff Contributing Editors timeline. It highlights some of first airmail in 1859. Aviation in Carole M. Allen, Janine Beckley, Alan Conant, Dani B. Pfaff, Indiana’s aviation history. It Indiana will continue to make Virginia Terpening provides page references to related history far into the future. The Indiana Historian provides re- sources and models for the study of local history to encourage Indiana’s citizens of all ages to become engaged with the his- You be the historian tory of their communities and the state of Indiana. • Investigate which airport(s) and • Produce materials to make others The Indiana Historian (formerly The Indiana Junior Historian) is issued quar- aviation industry(ies) have been im- aware of the history that you have terly from September through June. portant in your community or area. researched: for example, articles for It is a membership benefit of the Indi- ana Junior Historical Society. One compli- Gather available resources for preser- local publications, exhibits for local mentary subscription is provided to Indi- ana libraries, school media centers, and vation. institutions, or videos or oral tapes for cultural and historical organizations. • Begin an oral history project to local media. Annual subscriptions are available for $5.00 plus tax. Back issues are available collect information from individuals • Work with your public library—or at individual and bulk pricing. This material is available to visually involved in past and present aviation other repository—to preserve and impaired patrons in audio format, cour- activities—pilots, engineers, mechan- make available to others the resources tesy of the Indiana History Project of the Indiana Historical Society. Tapes are avail- ics, executives, etc. Include the expe- that have resulted from your investi- able through the Talking Books Program of the Indiana State Library; contact the Talk- riences of people who flew as passen- gations. ing Books Program, 317-232-3702. gers in the early years of commercial • Select a significant site or event in The Indiana Historian is copyrighted. Educators may reproduce items for class service; explore similarities with and your local aviation history and apply use, but no part of the publication may be reproduced in any way for profit without differences from present-day flight on to obtain an Indiana historical marker written permission of the Indiana Histori- airlines. to celebrate your local history. cal Bureau. 2 The Indiana Historian, June 1998 © Copyright Indiana Historical Bureau 1998 Indiana aviation 1944 4 2 Elkhart Steuben , 21. 1 1 , 12. 1 2 2 Lagrange Survey 1 St. Joseph 1 Survey Noble La Porte 2 1 2 Porter Dekalb Lake Starke Marshall Kosciusko Allen 2 Pulaski Newton Jasper 1 Fulton Whitley Miami 2 Wabash 2 Cass Wells White Huntington Adams Grant Carroll Benton 3 Blackford Howard 1 Warren 2 1 Clinton Tipton Jay 2 Tippecanoe 1 1 Fountain Montgomery Hamilton Madison Boone Delaware 1 Randolph 1 1 Henry Wayne Marion Hancock Hendricks 1 Putnam 2 Parke rmillion 3 4 Ve 2 2 4 1 Rush Johnson Fayette Union 4 Morgan 1 1 Shelby 2 Owen Clay Franklin Vigo Dearborn Monroe Decatur Bartholomew Ripley Greene 2 Brown Sullivan Jackson 1 Jennings Ohio Switzerland Martin 1 Daviess Jefferson The report from which these two maps are Lawrence Washington Scott taken examines the large economic impact of 2 Knox aviation and recommends legislation to assure Clark Pike Dubois its future success. The map above left indi- Orange Floyd cates fifty points at which approximately Gibson 2 Crawford 175 plants and industries are manufac- Perry Posey Vander- Warrick turing aircraft and aircraft parts with a burgh Harrison dollar value of approximately Spencer 2 $2,373,000,000 (p. 20). 5 The map on the right was prepared by Existing airport with class size indicated in circle. 2 the Indiana Economic Council to show the effect of the national plan released by the Civil Existing airports to be ex- panded: present class size indi- Aeronautics Administration on November 28, 1944 cated in circle, proposed class size 2 (pp. 9-10). “Airports [in 1944] are classed from one indicated by number of circles. to five, according to size of runways and other Proposed new airports: proposed class indicated features. No. 1 is the smallest and No. 5 is the by number of circles. largest and best equipped” (p. 9). Source: Survey, Findings and Recommendations with respect to Indiana’s Aviation Problems (Indianapolis: Governor’s Commission on Aviation, 1944). © Copyright Indiana Historical Bureau 1998 The Indiana Historian, June 1998 3 The first airmail John Wise, a nineteenth-cen- tury professional balloonist from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, knew up- per air currents in the Midwest blew from west to east. He believed that he could carry light mail and passengers Testing Octave in a balloon from the Midwest to the Chanute’s biplane east coast. glider in Indiana’s National Air and Space Museum. The citizens of Lafayette, Indi- dunes in 1896. ana invited Wise to prove his theory. On August 16, 1859, thousands of people gathered to watch. The pro- gram for the day (at left) indicates the Gliders in the dunes preparations and the showmanship. Octave Chanute was born in France in 1832. His family An accident delayed the trip until moved to America when he was seven. He was one of America’s August 17. Finally, Wise ascended foremost civil engineers when he retired in 1889 and made with official U.S. Post Office mail— Chicago his home. Chanute became interested in flight and 123 letters and 23 pamphlets. Wise’s researched and published an important book Progress in destination was New York City. He Flying Machines (1894). descended in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Convinced that he could build a more stable, safer glider, The U.S. Post Office issued a Chanute and several other enthusiasts went to Miller Beach, commemorative stamp on the cen- in what is now the northeastern part of Gary, Indiana. There, tennial of the trip, August 17, 1959. in June 1896, they conducted test flights using several types Sources: Lafayette Journal and Courier, of gliders. August 15, 1959; Richard B. Wetherill, “The First Official Air Mail,” Indiana Maga- On August 20, the group went to Dune Park, several zine of History, 35:4 (December 1939), miles east of Miller Beach, and tested three new gliders. The 390-99. resulting Chanute biplane glider was the model for the Wright brothers’ successful designs for their machines. A bronze plaque placed in 1936 remains in Marquette Park, Gary to commemorate Chanute’s aviation accomplish- ments. Sources: Powell A. Moore, “Octave Chanute’s Experiments with Glid- ers in the Indiana Dunes, 1896,” Indiana Magazine of History, 54:1 (December 1958), 381-90. See also David Lester, “Bird Men of the Dunes,” Outdoor Indiana, 48:8 (October 1983), 4-6; Web site (http:// www.crown.net/~sspicer/chanute/chan_ind.html) containing many documents and images relating to Chanute. Program from newspaper with end pulled out and enlarged. Lafayette Daily Journal, August 15, 1859. 1894 Lawrence D. Bell, founder of Bell Helicopter Rushville, Evansville, and Rockport, Indiana.