Dayton's Bluff in Saint Paul in Ramsey County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

The Indian Mounds Park "Airway" Beacon

Photographed By McGhiever, June 20, 2019

1. The Indian Mounds Park "Airway" Beacon marker

Inscription. St. Paul Downtown Airport (Holman Field) was constructed in 1926 to provide the city with air service and to facilitate the U.S. Post Office's contract airmail delivery. This airway beacon and others like it defined the airway corridor (usually 10 miles wide) that pilots used as their route between Chicago and St. Paul. "Airway" beacons flash white-white instead of the standard white-green which is used for airport beacons.

Designed by the City of St. Paul's Bureau of Bridges, the beacon and tower were built in 1929 by the St. Paul Structural Steel Company. It exists virtually unchanged since first being constructed, and was refurbished to its original black and chrome-yellow color scheme in 1995. Its 24-inch diameter rotating beacon which sits atop the 110' tower is a rare survivor of the 1920s & 30s era of aviation.

The Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), which has owned and operated the airport since 1944, and the Federal Aviation Administration, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Indian Affairs Council, the State Archaeologist and the City of St. Paul, have restored the beacon and tower to preserve its historic significance and its place on the city's skyline.

Erected 1995 by Metropolitan Airports Commission.

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lists: Air & Space • Communications. A significant historical year for this entry is 1929.

Location. 44° 56.782′ N, 93° 3.447′ W. Marker is in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in Ramsey County. It is in Dayton's Bluff. Marker is on Mounds Boulevard west of Earl Street, on the right when traveling east. Marker is in Indian Mounds Regional Park, on a small plinth beside the paved path running parallel to Mounds Boulevard. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 10 Mounds Boulevard, Saint Paul MN 55106, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. This is a Burial Place (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Geology of Minnesota (about 800 feet away); Riverside Hangars (approx. 0.4 miles away); Saint Paul Downtown Airport Seaplane Harbor (approx. 0.4 miles away); Northwest Airways Hangar Passenger Terminal (approx. 0.4 miles away); Saint Paul Downtown Airport (approx. 0.4 miles away); a different marker also named Indian Mounds Park "Airway Beacon" (approx. 0.4 miles away); Charles W. Holman (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Saint Paul.

Marker and "Airway" Beacon image. Click for full size.

Photographed By McGhiever, June 20, 2019

2. Marker and "Airway" Beacon

Credits. This page was last revised on February 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 7, 2020, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This page has been viewed 481 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 7, 2020, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.