Charles Lindbergh

[Lowell]

O-M-G, I just followed Pffft's link. When Lindbergh came back to the D after his flight there was a celebration held at 'Northwestern' field.

Am I correct to assume that was the future site of Northwestern HS / Olympia et. al and that we are seeing the construction of Lee Plaza in the background??

Capt. Lindbergh addresses crowd of 60,000 Aug. 10, 1927 at Northwestern Field during daylong celebrations honoring the city's native son.

Earlier that morning Capt. Lindbergh flew his 'Spirit of St. Louis' to the Ford Airport in Dearborn, where he was greeted by Ford and his staff pilot, local aviation ace, Harry Brooks. Although Ford had been a pioneer in aviation manufacturing he had never been up in an airplane. At the invitation of Lindbergh he took his first plane ride.

[Lowell]

More from the same article... Lindbergh got tarred by his involvement with the isolationist America First crowd who had a lot of pro-fascists in its ranks. But after Pearl Harbor, when his attempts to rejoin the military were rebuffed, he ended up doing development of the B-24 at Willow Run. I found the following statement interesting, indicating a considerable and poetic degree of pacifism.

Of his tenure at Willow Run, Lindbergh later wrote, "I would have viewed the Willow Run bomber production line as a marvelous feat of engineering. I would have felt proud of even the small part I had in bringing it into being. Now, it seemed a terrible giant's womb, growling, clanging, giving birth to robots which were killing people by the thousands each day as they destroyed the culture of Europe....This was a temple of the god of science at which we moderns worshiped....Here I watched a steel door lift and an airplane roll outside; while, in reality, the walls of a cathedral fell and children died."

[9mile&seneca]

Of his tenure at Willow Run, Lindbergh later wrote, "I would have viewed the Willow Run bomber production line as a marvelous feat of engineering. I would have felt proud of even the small part I had in bringing it into being. Now, it seemed a terrible giant's womb, growling, clanging, giving birth to robots which were killing people by the thousands each day as they destroyed the culture of Europe....This was a temple of the god of science at which we moderns worshiped....Here I watched a steel door lift and an airplane roll outside; while, in reality, the walls of a cathedral fell and children died."[/quote]

I had thought of him more of a shallow daredevil type until I read this. Funny how your perceptions can be so wrong.

[Savoyard]

I remember seeing the Lindberg birthplace historic marker at John King Books, downtown. It's in the building behind his public store, where his special book collections [[and living quarters) are located. This was probably 5-10 years ago. I don't believe is was an official state of Michigan plaque [[it would be illegal to have), but it definitely stated it marked the house where Lindberg was born. When I asked him how he got it, he replied "Friends". Don't believe he takes people to the other building now, since his full catalog is on-line. Haven't been there for years. Thank you Internet for showing me how overpriced his books are ...