Austin in Mower County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
On a Foggy Tuesday Morning, Jan. 21, 1986
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 8, 2023
1. On a Foggy Tuesday Morning, Jan. 21, 1986 Marker
Joe Spencer age 31
Curtis Haugen age 34
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Communications • Labor Unions • Notable Events. A significant historical date for this entry is January 21, 1986.
Location. 43° 40.189′ N, 92° 58.256′ W. Marker is in Austin, Minnesota, in Mower County. It is on 4th Avenue Northeast just east of 2nd Street Northeast, on the right when traveling east. The marker is beside the sidewalk at the east end of the Austin Labor Center parking lot. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 316 4th Avenue Northeast, Austin MN 55912, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Minnesota. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Ruperts Land, the territory of the
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Veterans Memorial Battlefield Cross (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Paramount Theatre (about 700 feet away); Belita M. Schindler (approx. Ό mile away); Rosalie Seltz (approx. Ό mile away); Dr. Ralph T. Holman (approx. Ό mile away); Bonnie Besse Rietz (approx. Ό mile away); John O'Rourke (approx. Ό mile away); Gertrude Ellis Skinner (approx. Ό mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Austin.
Also see . . . A helicopter carrying an ABC television correspondent and a producer (UPI Archives).
Excerpt: A helicopter carrying an ABC television correspondent and a producer to cover a meatpackers strike crashed Tuesday in thick fog, killing the two ABC employees and the pilot, authorities said. An ABC spokesman in New York identified the two employees as correspondent Joe Spencer and producer Mark McDonough, both 31 and based in Chicago. They were traveling about 100 miles from St. Paul to Austin in southeast Minnesota to cover a strike by union(Submitted on July 28, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)meatpackers against the Geo. A. Hormel & Co., authorities said. The pilot, Curtis Mark Haugen of Marina on St. Croix, Minn., chose to fly under a low cloud cover instead of following an advised flight plan above the clouds, said Mort Edelstein, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman in Chicago.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 8, 20232. On a Foggy Tuesday Morning, Jan. 21, 1986 MarkerRoone Arledge, president of ABC News in New York, expressed the network's condolences to the victims' families. The two had each worked for ABC about three years, based in Chicago during that time. 'Joe Spencer and Mark McDonough were two young and talented journalists who lost their lives doing their work,' Arledge said. 'All who knew them, both professionally and personally, had great affection and respect for the way they lived and what they gave to their profession.
The wreckage of the helicopter, leased by Odyssey Helicopter Service in White Bear Lake, was found in a farm field shortly before 1 p.m. south of Ellendale, about 80 miles south of Minneapolis, said Col. Roger Ledding of the Minnesota State Highway Patrol.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 8, 2023
3. Austin Labor Center
Looking east along 4th Avenue Northeast. The marker is beside the sidewalk at the far east end of the parking lot beyond the building.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 28, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 28, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 8 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 28, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
