Near Beaver City in Furnas County, Nebraska — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Nebraska's Flying Doctor
1. Nebraska's Flying Doctor Marker
On May 23, 1919, Dr. Frank A. Brewster of Beaver City and pilot Wade Stevens took off on a flight to Herndon, Kansas. There, Brewster performed emergency surgery to save the life of an injured man. This flight attracted worldwide attention and Dr. Brewster was regarded as perhaps the first physician to use an airplane for professional purposes. The plane was a Curtiss JN-4D Jenny, which the doctor had purchased a few weeks earlier. Brewsters airstrip and hangar, located near here, was among the first private airports in Nebraska. One of the few surgeons serving a large area of Nebraska and Kansas, Brewster was quick to adopt timesaving innovations. In 1906, he purchased the first automobile in Furnas County. However, bad roads were a constant problem, which led to Brewsters use of an airplane in his medical work. After moving to Holdrege, Nebraska, Brewster regularly flew to visit the several hospitals he had built in the two-state region. At age 71, he received his own pilots license and was an active flier until his death at 89 in 1961.
Erected by Nebraska State Historical Society. (Marker Number 199.)
Topics and series.
this page online
Location. 40° 7.929′ N, 99° 48.273′ W. Marker is near Beaver City, Nebraska, in Furnas County. It is on Nebraska Route 89 east of Route 428, on the right when traveling east. The marker is about .75 mi east of Beaver City. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Beaver City NE 68926, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Eastern Nebraska and in the Republican River Valley. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Corn Belt, and on the prairies. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 2 other markers are within 14 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Republican River Flood of 1935 (approx. 11.2 miles away); Marking First Homestead in Furnas Co. (approx. 13.2 miles away).
Also see . . . Nebraska's Flying Doctor. (Submitted on January 5, 2025.)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 7, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 5, 2025. This page has been viewed 144 times since then and 27 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on January 5, 2025. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. A wide view photo of the marker and the surrounding area together in context. • Can you help?
