Concord-Robert in Saint Paul in Ramsey County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Indian Mounds Park "Airway Beacon"
Photographed By McGhiever, August 15, 2023
1. Indian Mounds Park "Airway Beacon" Marker
St Paul's Holman Field was constructed in 1926 to provide the city with air service and to facilitate the US 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 standard 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 foot tower is a rare survivor of the 1920s and 30s era of aviation.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Communications. A significant historical year for this entry is 1929.
Location. 44° 56.581′ N, 93° 3.868′ W. Marker is in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in Ramsey County. It is in Concord-Robert. Marker can be reached from Bayfield Street east of Plato Boulevard, on the left when traveling east. The marker is mounted on the west end of the floodwall north of the Saint Paul Downtown Airport parking lot. Touch for map
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Saint Paul Downtown Airport (within shouting distance of this marker); Northwest Airways Hangar Passenger Terminal (within shouting distance of this marker); Saint Paul Downtown Airport Seaplane Harbor (within shouting distance of this marker); Riverside Hangars (approx. 0.3 miles away); a different marker also named The Indian Mounds Park "Airway" Beacon (approx. 0.4 miles away); This is a Burial Place (approx. half a mile away); Geology of Minnesota (approx. half a mile away); Remnants of a Former Rail Yard (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Saint Paul.
Photographed By McGhiever, August 15, 2023
2. Indian Mounds Park "Airway Beacon" Marker at the west end of the airport floodwall
Photographed By McGhiever, July 19, 2010
3. The Airway Beacon in Indian Mounds Park, across the river from this marker
Credits. This page was last revised on March 22, 2024. It was originally submitted on March 22, 2024, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This page has been viewed 44 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 22, 2024, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
