Near Rockerville in Pennington County, South Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Explorer II

By Connor Olson, April 22, 2018

1. Explorer II Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

From the floor
of the Stratobowl below
on November 11, 1935
The Stratosphere Balloon
Explorer II
rose to the world altitude
record of 72,395 feet
★ The ascent was made for scientific research
under the joint auspices of
The U.S. Army Air Corps
Major General Oscar Westover, Chief of Air Corps
Brigadier General Henry H. Arnold, Asst. Chief of Air Corps
and
the National Geographic Society
Gilbert Grosvenor, President
Lyman J. Briggs, Chairman, Committee on Research
★ Captain Albert W. Stevens, Air Corps
Commander and scientific observer
Captain Orvil A. Anderson, Air Corps
Pilot

This Plaque dedicated on
the Twentieth Anniversary of
the Flight of Explorer II
November 11, 1955

Erected 1955.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in

Floor of the Stratobowl Valley image. Click for full size.

By Connor Olson, April 22, 2018

2. Floor of the Stratobowl Valley

this topic list: Air & Space.

Location. 43° 58.747′ N, 103° 20.601′ W. Marker is near Rockerville, South Dakota, in Pennington County. Marker can be reached from Stratobowl Road (County Road L235) 1.3 miles north of U.S. 16. Located at an overlook on the Stratobowl Trail. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Rapid City SD 57702, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Sheridan (approx. 7.1 miles away); Gutzon Borglum (approx. 7.4 miles away); Civilian Conservation Corps Camp (approx. 7.9 miles away); a different marker also named Gutzon Borglum (approx. 8.7 miles away); The Pigtail Bridges (approx. 8.9 miles away); The Power to Carve a Mountain (approx. 8.9 miles away); The Father of Mt. Rushmore (approx. 8.9 miles away); Theodore Roosevelt (approx. 8.9 miles away).

Also see . . . Wikipedia article on the Explorer II. (Submitted on December 6, 2020.)

Credits. This page was last revised on December 6, 2020. It was originally submitted on December 6, 2020, by Connor Olson of Lemmon, South Dakota. This page has been viewed 35 times since then and 2 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 6, 2020, by Connor Olson of Lemmon, South Dakota. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.