Distinctly Montana Magazine

Scarcely older than the age of flight itself, 19-year-old pilot Cromwell Dixon was a national sensation. Sponsored by the Curtiss Aeorplane Company, Dixon spent the summer of 1911 entertaining and astounding audiences across the country with his flying skills in a plane called the . Invited to perform at the Montana State Fair in Helena, the nation's youngest licensed pilot took on the challenge that had eluded top aviators for years: to be the first cross the Continental Divide by air. After scouting rugged mountain ranges, the tiny town of Blossburg on the Mullan Pass was selected as the landing area. Dixon's crew, along with many other observers, went and set up a bonfire to help guide the plane. On the afternoon of September 30, he took off from the cheering crowds at the Helena Fairgrounds determined to achieve a goal that some thought was impossible... HISTORY WINGSof On the EXCERPT FROM CROMWELL DIXON: A BOY AND HIS PLANE by Martin J. Kidston • illustrations by robert rath T he Little Hummingbird left Helena shortly after 2 p.m. The wings dipped side to side as Cromwell searched for balance in the steady winds pushing the machine. Once he found his bal- ance, the point of equilibrium, he stabilized the machine and circled the track before he veered west. As he flew, Cromwell gained altitude, climbing 1,000 feet, then 2,000 feet. Ten minutes passed and still the aeroplane hung above the valley, easily seen as it circled up, climbing higher and higher. When he was soaring 3,000 feet above the valley, he came in line with Mullan Pass and the Continental Divide. Governor Norris watched as well, dazzled by the display. while mulling over his speech in the event that Cromwell was successful in his crossing. Earlier, the governor had given Cromwell a letter to deliver to the folks in Blossburg. As far as anyone knew, the governor mused, Cromwell was carrying the first piece of mail ever delivered by an aeroplane in Montana. But Cromwell had to make it to Blossburg before he could deliver it. The engine purred. No sign of trouble. And there was the smoke curling from the mountain, dead ahead! But in the wind, the smoke might as well have been a million miles away, a mirage or an apparition. The wind cut fiercely across the ridge. www.distinctlymontana.com 73 Little Hummingbird

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