arrows

[Black Hawk]

The Forgotten Giant Arrows that Guide you Across America




So what if there were no high-tech GPS devices in the 1920s? Back then the US Postal Service invented its own navigation system – giant concrete arrows that pointed the way to Air Mail pilots.

When America's first Transcontinental Air Mail route opened in 1920, pilots faced difficulties in navigating the coast-to-coast route over the American Midwest. This was a time when radar and other modern flight planning implements were yet to be invented.

The very first pilots had to traverse the route relying on landmarks, which weren't always visible during bad weather. So in 1923, Congress approved the construction of a network of beacons to make the route navigable in the rain or the dark.

These beacons consisted of massive concrete arrows, painted bright yellow, set into the land about 10 miles apart. The arrows were illuminated by 50-foot-towers with powerful rotating gas lights. Visible from a height of 10,000 meters, the arrows helped pilots find their way during the worst weather and at night. They were also located close to emergency airfields just in case airplanes needed to make an emergency landing.


The first of these beacons were built in 1924, covering a part of the flight from Ohio to Wyoming. They were a huge success and by 1929, the network of beacons stretched from New York to San Francisco. The pilots, who were generally former military men, flew open cockpit biplanes in all kinds of crazy weather, making the arrows a necessity.



Ben Scott, a retired pilot, said: "These guys were flying in all kinds of weather. Going through the canyons, they were practically running their toes down the river. So the arrows were there to help them navigate the route."



Unfortunately, the system was a short-lived one. Just three years after the project was commissioned, the US Postal Service surrendered it to the Department of Commerce. It was later decommissioned with advances in technology like radar and radio. The giant guiding arrows were outdated by the 1940s and the steel towers were donated to Word War II efforts.



Today, 80 years after the arrows were laid down, they still exist, pointing out a 4,230 kilometer route (with 13 stops) from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Efforts are being made to preserve these concrete giants. They might be bleached or covered in weeds, but they're very much there – historic landmarks and a reminder of simpler times.

http://www.dreamsmithphotos.com/arrow/arrows.html   There are 14 arrows and 10 beacons in WY
Would make a nice trip on bikes to find some of them.

[grubbie]

That is pretty cool. Unfortunately the ones listed in Wyo are in some of the worst, boring, no scenery riding areas in the state....maybe even the country. I lived in Sweetwater County for quite awhile, never even knew they were there. Thanks for sharing, I love this kinda stuff.

[Hank]

Yeah that's pretty cool.  Seems a bit ill conceived, but I suppose it was better than nothing.   Probably worked good on a sunny day 3 seasons out of the year.

[Lonesome Dave]

OMG....I've never heard of anything like this before.  That's very cool. 

How's Mr. Black Hawk, we miss you at breakfast!

[greatbuffalo]

That is pretty cool. Grubbie, I think the fact that the ones in WY are in very boring landscapes. In terrain with lots of contours, landmarks and contrast, these were of little use. That's why they are in areas that would cause a bored pilot to wander off course.

Would make for a very cool ride. Not one I've heard anyone else do. We've all seen the high profiles routes done but this one is a bit "off the Radar". A bad pun but a pun of sorts.