First Dawn to Dusk Flight Across America

On June 23, 1924, a Logan man flew from one ocean to the other between dawn and dark. Lieutenant Russell Maughan lifted his Curtiss pursuit plane off a New York field at first light and set it down at San Francisco at 9:40 that night — one minute before official dusk — after eighteen hours in the air at around 150 miles an hour. Two earlier tries had ended in engine failure. The dawn-to-dusk flight made Maughan a national hero and proved the continent could be crossed in a single day.

What the plaque says

First Dawn to Dusk Flight Across America Colonel Russell L. Maughan of Logan, Utah, made the first daylight flight across the continent on June 23, 1924. Flying solo in a Curtis PW-8 pursuit aircraft, Maughan, then a lieutenant in the U.S. Air Service, left Mitchell Field, New York, at dawn and arrived at Crissy Field, San Francisco, at 9:40 p.m., P.S.T., one minute before official dusk. Winging his way to destiny, Maughan flew from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean in 21 hours 48 minutes and 30 seconds, averaging approximately 150 miles per hour. His actual in-flight time was 18 hours and 20 minutes. Having made two previous attempts, which were aborted because of engine failures, Maughan's successful flight illumined the imagination of people everywhere. Hailed as a world hero he set both pattern and precedent for generations to follow. His flight of fancy and faith had become a reality. And in a few short years others have broken the sound barrier, flown to the moon, and orbited the earth in a fantastic sequence of adventures of the human spirit. But in 1924 the dawn to dusk flight across America was a 'Maughanumental' achievement.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Logan — 0.3 mi
  A vibrant college town tucked into a stunning mountain valley
• American West Heritage Center — 4.6 mi
  A living history farm spanning 160 acres of Cache Valley
• Hyrum State Park — 6.8 mi
  A family-friendly reservoir at the mouth of Blacksmith Fork Canyon
• Wind Cave Trail — 9.0 mi
  A short hike to a triple-arched limestone cave overlooking the canyon

More markers nearby

• Birthplace of Pioneer Pilot Russell L. Maughan — steps away
• Russell Maughan, First Flight — steps away
• Pioneer Memories of 1866 — steps away
• Cache Valley — steps away