Technical Report Legacy of Pancho Barnes Oral History Program

Summary

The ranch Florence Lowe Barnes (Pancho Barnes) owned and operated (which is now part of Edwards Air Force Base [AFB]) was a focal point for entertainment, social activity, and comradery. Many prominent individuals involved with historic flight test programs and projects went there for relaxation. In 1954, Pancho's home was destroyed by a fire that resulted in the annihilation of a large portion of her personal archives and artifacts. Consequently, one option to preserve crucial historical and cultural information at this late date was by utilization of oral history. In 1991, the Legacy Resource Management Program provided funding for a preliminary study of Pancho. During the 1920's and 1930's, she had gained fame as a woman aviator. Her life eventually became intimately connected with the culture and history of Edwards AFB.

In 1991, the Air Force tasked Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) to undertake a preliminary cultural and historical study of Pancho Barnes' life and early history of the Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFfC). This preliminary study had two major goals: obtain historical and cultural information to support a National Register of Historic Places nomination for the ruins of Pancho's ranch, and initiate an Oral History Program to support the Base's Cultural Resource Management Program. These goals were successfully accomplished and an interpretive video based on the oral history interviews was produced.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Edwards AFB - Pancho Barnes Oral History

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Edwards Air Force Base CRM Manager

Record Identifiers

Contract No. (s): F04611-89-C-0019

File Information