Falcon Heights in Ramsey County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Curtiss Northwest Airport – Serving the Area

Photographed by McGhiever, July 2, 2021

1. Curtiss Northwest Airport – Serving the Area marker

Inscription.

Curtiss Northwest Airport – Serving the Area. . Curtiss Northwest Airport – In 1919, Snelling and Larpenteur Avenues were two-lane, unpaved roads in then – Rose Township. In the 1920's, enthusiasm for aviation grew at Curtiss Northwest Airport. The airfield served many purposes including full-service hangars, aviation-related sales, and many promotional endeavors. Curtiss Northwest Airport's history includes many aviation first to Minnesota and the upper-Midwest.

Curtiss Northwest Airport and The Minnesota Air National Guard Helping Establish the Minnesota Air National Guard – In 1920, a Curtiss Northwest pilot flew two state officials on a bold journey all the way to Washington D.C. Thee, federal authorities impressed by the Minnesotan's initiative, authorized the formation of the nation's first Air National Guard unit.

Inset: , How did Curtiss Northwest Airport Serve the Area?
Crop Spraying
The state entomologist contracted with Curtiss Northwest to fight a grasshopper infestation in northern Minnesota. Kidder's mechanics rigged two planes with hopper bottoms to drop a mixture of bran, molasses and arsenic in sloughs. The application was considered successful, whatever the environmental impact.

Transporting Patients, Political Candidates
In order to transport an ailing man from an isolated Wisconsin farm to a St. Paul hospital, Kidder's mechanics retrofitted a plane to accommodate a hospital cot. The same plane went on to ferry patients from St. Paul to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, In 1922, Curtiss Northwest Airport was associated with the first extensive use of a plane in a political campaign. In an upset, Henrik Shipstead was elected over Frank B. Kellogg to the United States Senate. Kidder claimed that Shipstead made it to all of his campaign appearances, while Kellogg's car was "often stuck in the mud."

Freight Hauling
During a railroad strike in 1920, two Curtiss Northwest pilots flew to New York on behalf of Dayton's Department Store in downtown Minneapolis and returned with a load of luxury goods. It was the longest cargo flight up to that time. After unloading, the planes were placed on display outside the store. , Photo captions:
Aerial Photography and Mapping – In the early days of commercial aviation, people were fascinated with the perspective aerial photos provided. Relying on the skill of his ace photographer, Paul Hamilton, Kidder kept Curtiss Northwest Airport in the news by supplying local papers with aerial views of the city and countryside. He also contracted with Northern States Power Company to provide aerial mapping during the utility's rapid expansion.

Curtiss Northwest Airport – In 1919, Snelling and Larpenteur Avenues were two-lane, unpaved roads in then – Rose Township. In the 1920's, enthusiasm for aviation grew at Curtiss Northwest Airport. The airfield served many purposes including full-service hangars, aviation-related sales, and many promotional endeavors. Curtiss Northwest Airport's history includes many aviation first to Minnesota and the upper-Midwest.

Curtiss Northwest Airport and The Minnesota Air National Guard Helping Establish the Minnesota Air National Guard – In 1920, a Curtiss Northwest pilot flew two state officials on a bold journey all the way to Washington D.C. Thee, federal authorities impressed by the Minnesotan's initiative, authorized the formation of the nation's first Air National Guard unit.

Inset:
How did Curtiss Northwest Airport Serve the Area?
Crop Spraying
The state entomologist contracted with Curtiss Northwest to fight a grasshopper infestation in northern Minnesota. Kidder's mechanics rigged two planes with hopper bottoms to drop a mixture of bran, molasses and arsenic in sloughs. The application was considered successful, whatever the environmental impact.

Transporting Patients, Political Candidates
In order to transport an ailing

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man from an isolated Wisconsin farm to a St. Paul hospital, Kidder's mechanics retrofitted a plane to accommodate a hospital cot. The same plane went on to ferry patients from St. Paul to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, In 1922, Curtiss Northwest Airport was associated with the first extensive use of a plane in a political campaign. In an upset, Henrik Shipstead was elected over Frank B. Kellogg to the United States Senate. Kidder claimed that Shipstead made it to all of his campaign appearances, while Kellogg's car was "often stuck in the mud."

Freight Hauling
During a railroad strike in 1920, two Curtiss Northwest pilots flew to New York on behalf of Dayton's Department Store in downtown Minneapolis and returned with a load of luxury goods. It was the longest cargo flight up to that time. After unloading, the planes were placed on display outside the store.

Photo captions:
Aerial Photography and Mapping – In the early days of commercial aviation, people were fascinated with the perspective aerial photos provided. Relying on the skill of his ace photographer, Paul Hamilton, Kidder kept Curtiss Northwest Airport in the news by supplying local papers with aerial views of the city and countryside. He also contracted with Northern States Power Company to provide aerial mapping during the utility's rapid expansion.

Marker on the sidewalk leading down from Idaho Avenue image. Click for full size.

Photographed by McGhiever, July 2, 2021

2. Marker on the sidewalk leading down from Idaho Avenue

Erected by City of Falcon Heights.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Air & Space. A significant historical year for this entry is 1919.

Location. 44° 59.388′ N, 93° 9.96′ W. Marker is in Falcon Heights, Minnesota, in Ramsey County. It can be reached from Idaho Avenue West west of Arona Street. Located in Curtiss Field Park, at the bend in the sidewalk at the north end of the park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1551 Iowa Ave W, Saint Paul MN 55113, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American Midwest,

in the Corn Belt,

and in the Great River Road Region.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A Century in the Sky (within shouting distance of this marker); Curtiss Northwest Airport and its Fliers (within shouting distance of this marker); Como Zoo Today (approx. 0.9 miles away); Extending the U (approx. 0.9 miles away); A Glasshouse Becomes a Reality (approx. 0.9 miles away); Sparky Show & Toby the Tortoise (approx. 0.9 miles away); The Zoo Expands (approx. 0.9 miles away); The Early Years (approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Falcon Heights.

Additional keywords. Curtiss Northwest Airport – Serving the Area

Credits. This page was last revised on August 28, 2021. It was originally submitted on August 27, 2021, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This page has been viewed 423 times since then and 67 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 27, 2021, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.