Hudson Bay in Vancouver in Clark County, Washington — The American West (Northwest)
Early Aviation History in Vancouver
Pearson Field
As part of the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition in Portland, Oregon, eighteen-year-old Lincoln Beachey piloted 23 controlled flights in an airship named the City of Portland.
The flight on September 19, 1905 landed on the parade ground of Vancouver Barracks, where Beachey delivered a letter from the President of the Lewis and Clark Exposition to General Constant Williams, commander of Vancouver Barracks. This was the first powered, controlled flight over the Columbia River, and in the state of Washington.
Erected by Vancouver National Historic Reserve.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Air & Space. A significant historical date for this entry is September 19, 1905.
Location. 45° 37.457′ N, 122° 39.411′ W. Marker is in Vancouver, Washington, in Clark County. It is in Hudson Bay. Marker is on E. 5th Street, on the right when traveling east. Marker is near the Pearson Air Museum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1115 E 5th St, Vancouver WA 98661, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Carlton Foster Bond (here, next to this marker); Pearson Airfield (a few steps from this marker); The Chkalov Transpolar Flight (a few steps from this marker); The Soviet Transpolar Flight of 1937 (a few steps from this marker); Howard C. French / Alexander Pearson (within shouting distance of this marker); The 321st Observation Squadron (1923-1941) (within shouting distance of this marker); First Japanese on the North American Continent (about 800 feet away, measured in a direct line); Whose Anchor? (about 800 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Vancouver.
More about this marker. The background picture is captioned, "The airship City of Portland at Vancouver. An earlier accident forced Beachey to use a replacement balloon with the name Gelatine." The picture was provided for the marker courtesy of Pearson Air Museum.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 20, 2008, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,578 times since then and 7 times this year. Last updated on June 2, 2015, by Scot Harkins of Greenbank, Washington. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 20, 2008, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.