Hearing of a flight from Vancouver to Washington, D.C., over parts of the Oregon Trail, an old man with a brushy beard lobbied the War Department to hitch a ride. In 1907, after following an oxcart reversing his trek west, Ezra Meeker (1830-1928) met President Theodore Roosevelt and successfully urged him to save the Oregon Trail and create more paved roads. Meeker wanted to meet President Calvin Coolidge to ensure the project continued. With the War Department’s permission, Meeker accompanied Lt. Oakley Kelly (1891-1966).
Kelly made his name as an endurance flyer by setting a world record, staying more than 36 hours aloft. In 1923, he and Lt. John Macready flew the 2,600 miles between Long Island and San Diego in 27 hours.
Oct. 1, 1924, a goggled Meeker waited in the U.S. Army de Havilland-DH-4 for Kelly’s arrival. The young lieutenant and the crusty pioneer circled the airfield before turning east. Meeker was on his way to becoming the first cross-country air passenger.
Knowing that the press was watching, Meeker shrewdly sent telegrams between cities where he touched down. Even at 100 miles per hour, he urged Kelly for more speed. The first day, somewhere between the Idaho cities of Boise and Pocatello, Meeker’s $8 hat blew away.
