Lindbergh Landing Site

Pierre got Lindbergh by telegram. Harry Guggenheim wired Mayor John E. Hipple that the flier had expressed a personal desire to spend September 1 in the city, and Pierre had no airfield to offer him; this pasture became one. He flew in from Fargo that day on the Guggenheim tour, which carried the Spirit of St. Louis to all forty-eight states between July 20 and October 23, 1927. The crowd is counted three ways: about 3,500 in one account, 3,800 on the front of this marker and 5,000 on its back.

What the plaque says

Lindbergh Landing Site On this, then private, pasture dotted with Sioux effigies (see marker north 1 mile), Colonel Charles Lindbergh landed his Ryan monoplane, "The Spirit of Saint Louis", September 1st 1927 at exactly 4 pm. On May 21st he had been the first person to fly solo and nonstop from New York to Paris. His plane had no radio, literally no forward visibility, and only minimal navigation equipment, thus his flight was a true aviation "first." His tour plan was to visit all the state capitals, stimulate interest in commercial aviation, and demonstrate the safety and punctuality of flight. After a short exhibition of circles and maneuvers over Fort Pierre, Pierre, and the landing field; he landed. A crowd of 3800 including Governor Bulow and Mayor Hipple greeted his arrival. American Legionnaires, led by Commander Charles H. Burke, had prepared and secured the site. In attendance were 700 cars, 18 from out of state, and representatives from 39 SD counties. In an open car, Lindbergh led a long procession of cars through streets of Pierre to the Saint Charles hotel where the special guests would spend the night. Following a supper reception (Continued on other side) Erected by the Pierre/Fort Pierre Historical Preservation Commission Lindbergh Landing Site (Continued from other side) at Mayor Hipple's home the American Legion Scotch band led the dignitaries to the front steps of the Capitol. Mayor Hipple spoke briefly. Governor Bulow predicted that though Lindbergh had crossed the Atlantic and returned to tell of it, someday some man would leave the earth, journey to the moon and return to tell of it. To the cheering crowd of 5000 Lindbergh spoke briefly confining his remarks to an explanation of his presence in Pierre. Lindbergh declared that his trip was the forerunner of a time in the near future when people of Pierre could leave the Pierre airport and arrive at the east or west coast on the same day. He remarked that Pierre was especially fortunate to have a natural landing field and claimed that it would be important for all cities to develop airports. After an appearance at the dance in the City Auditorium he returned to the St. Charles for the night. Though planning to leave at 9 the next morning, he was delayed a bit by the need to prime the plane's oil pump. Finally at 9:30 he took off for Cheyenne, WY. This site, subsequently purchased by the city, would serve for the next 12 years as Pierre's airport. Erected by the Pierre/Fort Pierre Historical Preservation Commission

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• South Dakota State Capitol — 3.2 mi
  A copper-domed capitol built to end three elections' worth of fighting over where the capital belonged, beside a lake fed by an artesian well with a gas flame burning in it.
• Oahe Dam — 3.5 mi
  One of the largest rolled-earth dams in the world, dedicated by President Kennedy in 1962, holding back a reservoir that reaches more than 230 miles to Bismarck.
• Verendrye Monument — 4.3 mi
  The hilltop above Fort Pierre where three children found a lead plate in 1913 that two French brothers had buried in 1743 to claim the West for their king.

More markers nearby

• Sioux Indian Mosaic — 1.5 mi
• The Oahe Dam and Lake — 2.4 mi
• Fort Pierre Chouteau — 2.5 mi
• John Sutherland and the Capital Fights — 3.1 mi