The Remains of the Transcontinental Air Mail System

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The period in American history from 1924 to the 1940s represents a pivotal time for transcontinental aviation, making it possible for mail to travel from New York City to San Francisco in 30 hours. Transcontinental aviation is a feat that had not been possible prior to the establishment of a system of lighted beacons and concrete navigational arrows. The transcontinental air mail system is associated with a pioneering period in American history associated with travel and transportation that predates the invention of radar. The ability for pilots to travel from east coast to west coast in a day and a half transformed not only the way aviation was conceptualized in our country but the fundamental ways in which people communicated. The physical manifestations of this transformative shift remain on the landscape in the form of slowly deteriorating concrete arrows and beacon towers remnants. The route and beacon locations are well documented textually. Using remotely sensed data and historic maps, this poster documents the physical vestiges of this small chapter in history to understand and document what remains of the transcontinental air mail system with a particular focus on public lands.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 40391.0