Sioux Falls in Minnehaha County, South Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

The First "Flying Machine"

June 10, 2022

1. The First "Flying Machine" Marker

Inscription. The first airplane flight over Sioux Falls took place only nine years after the flight of the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in 1903. To entertain a state convention here, local B.P.O. Elks Lodge No. 262 contracted with the Curtiss Exhibition Company to provide a Curtiss Pusher biplane and a trained pilot with a guarantee of two successful flights.

A dismantled and crated aircraft was shipped to Sioux Falls by rail. After the primitive "flying machine" was reassembled near this spot, over 11,000 spectators watched two flight attempts. Both times strong winds dashed the fragile canvas, wood and bamboo plane back to earth.

Aviator Claude Berlin, a former resident of Crooks and Sioux Falls, supervised repairs to the damaged wings and frame. The next day, June 20, 1912, Berlin tested the controls, revved up the motor and soon had "the machine ... gliding skyward 1000 feet in the air" in a 12-minute flight. For Sioux Falls, the age of aviation had arrived.

Erected 1998 by the Minnehaha County Historical Society and Emerson All City Elementary School.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Air & Space. A significant historical date for this entry is June 20, 1912.

Location. 43° 32.027′ N, 96° 42.037′ W. Marker is

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in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in Minnehaha County. Marker is on East 24th Street, 0.1 miles east of South Bruce Road, on the left when traveling east. Located by the basketball & tennis courts in Riverdale Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2000 E 24th St, Sioux Falls SD 57105, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Buffalo Bill (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Military Road (approx. 0.2 miles away); Sioux Falls (approx. 0.3 miles away); Cherry Rock Bridge (approx. 0.3 miles away); Mount Pleasant Cemetery (approx. 0.7 miles away); Josephine Martin Glidden Memorial Chapel (approx. 0.7 miles away); Fort Dakota Soldiers (approx. 0.7 miles away); Mission Church (approx. 0.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sioux Falls.

June 10, 2022

2. The First "Flying Machine" Marker

The First "Flying Machine" Marker, from the east image. Click for full size.

June 10, 2022

3. The First "Flying Machine" Marker, from the east

The First "Flying Machine" Marker, from the west image. Click for full size.

June 10, 2022

4. The First "Flying Machine" Marker, from the west

Credits. This page was last revised on June 13, 2022. It was originally submitted on June 13, 2022. This page has been viewed 1,249 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 13, 2022.