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Farmington News
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From "Doc Alders, Farmington's Lone Eagle" A Reminiscence: Henry Ford's Model-T became the vehicle of choice for the younger set. They mingled on mud roads with horse drawn vehicles. Radio broadcast stations started cropping up across country. Primitive radio receivers befuddled the public. There were no regulations. Local permits sufficed. Radio beacons were placed to guide the planes carrying the US Mail. Jenny planes left over from the war were popular with "barnstorm" pilots. The manufacture of small aircraft proliferated, ushering in the golden age of private flying. Martin Larson put in an airstrip on his father's ranch on Jack Tone Road at Highway 4. The airstrip ran along Jack Tone Road. It had become common for country people to put in a flying strip on their property. Most of these have disappeared. Martin flew several models of Travel Air during the time he had the landing strip there. A barnstormer was flying a Jenny out of Larson's strip and on one occasion flew across Highway 4 and into a big oak tree. The pilot walked away. The Jenny was demolished. Doc Averel got some pieces of wing spares for souvenirs. 1927 was an eventful year. Charles Lindbergh, a US Mail pilot who had escaped death on four different occasions by mean of his parachute, flew across the Atlantic Ocean to Paris, France in May 1927. The Dole air race from Oakland to Hawaii was in August of 1927. The $25,000 prize was won by Art Goebel in a Travel Air 5000 and Bennett Griffin in another Air Travel 5000 came in second. Considering the navigation techniques employed in those days, making it to Hawaii from Oakland in a plane was like getting a hole in one. Several planes in the race disappeared, lost in the Pacific. The US government started issuing pilots licenses and aircraft mechanic licenses in 1927. The Model-A Ford went into production marking the end of the long popularity of the Model-T.

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Happy Birthday wishes for Ed Adams, September 22nd. Next week Birthday wishes for Curtis Ladiges on September 25th and Kadin Allen Bailey-Donis, Monday, September 26th.

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World Gratitude Day is Wednesday, September 21st. Autumn begins Friday, September 23rd. Monday, September 26th is National Good Neighbor Day.

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I would still like to hear from you. Have you taken a trip? Have you had out of town visitors? Let me know of family birthdays, anniversaries and new arrivals to your family. Whatever you want to add to the Farmington News is welcome.

Please contact me if you have items for the Farmington News column. E-mail me at farmingtonnews@gmail.com or phone 896-6697.