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

Inscription.

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. It can be reached from Bayfield Street east of

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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. Marker is at or near this postal address: 644 Bayfield Street, Saint Paul MN 55107, 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: 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

Indian Mounds Park "Airway Beacon" Marker at the west end of the airport floodwall image. Click for full size.

Photographed by McGhiever, August 15, 2023

2. Indian Mounds Park "Airway Beacon" Marker at the west end of the airport floodwall

(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.

The Airway Beacon in Indian Mounds Park, across the river from this marker image. Click for full size.

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 393 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 22, 2024, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.