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What are These Giant Concrete Arrows Across the American Landscape?
Backpacking through Europe in my 20s, my sense of direction served me well—until I hit the cities with the truly medieval street plans. So in Florence, after renting a motorcycle, I devised a clever way to find the garage again: Next to the garage was an impressive, obviously important brick building, with a large arrow and some Italian words pointing to it. I observed these same signs along the street pointing back towards this building, so I knew that if I got close enough, the signs would lead me back to the building and the garage.
Attempting to return at the end of the day, I located the signs, began following them—and was soon hopelessly lost. It was only after going in a complete circle that I realized what was written on the sign—Senso Unico—was Italian for "One Way."
To follow arrows is human-behavior-meets-graphic-design 101. So it may not surprise you to learn that these gigantic concrete arrows dotting America, from east to west, are for wayfinding.
In the 1920s, America began coast-to-coast Airmail service, but the pioneer pilots had trouble navigating the route, since navigation charts of the day were fugazi and you couldn't exactly pull over to ask a farmer for directions. And traveling at night, when it would have been most efficient, or in bad weather was impossible. To solve this Congress then funded these gi-normous arrow-shaped Airmail Beacons, some up to 70 feet long, to trace a route across the country.
The arrows were painted bright yellow and each was accompanied by a tower up to 50 feet in height. At the top of each tower was a powerful gas-powered light, and at the bottom of the tower, a shed to hold the gas.
The easily-discernible design made the arrows visible from a distance of ten miles, and each arrow pointed the way towards the next, some three miles distant. That's according to the Postal Museum; however, this blog claims the towers were 10 miles apart with a 40-mile visibility. It's possible the former is describing the earlier towers and the latter is describing updated versions.
What's not in dispute is that the beacon towers are all gone, the steel having been broken up and recycled for America's World War II effort. But the no-longer-used arrows remain, their paint long since worn off by the elements, the arrows themselves too difficult to make breaking them up worthwhile. And unless Omer Haciomeroglu sends his Concrete Recycling Robots into the American hinterlands, they'll likely be there forever.
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There's one on the south side of I-80,just a couple of miles east of Reno. It's on a stone ridge overlooking the Truckee River,and overlooks what appears to be some warehouses by 80. It's actually across the river from Mogul. Not sure anymore if the roads to it are still open,but the way I got there was from the western end of Riverfront Dr.;there's a road that crosses a little creek then goes north,then straight west for a couple hundred feet,then you go south and run alongside a creek about 1600 feet or so,where you'll find a road that goes north. That road goes to the right for about 200 feet,then makes a broad curve to the left. It'll take you right to the arrow,which was looking rough when I was there,but looks better (?) now on Google Satellite. Best to scope it out on Google Maps/Satellite before you go,it'll give you a better idea how to reach the arrow BTW-there's another one around Lockwood and one farther east, north of 80,and I THINK there's one on the hill somewhere behind the Pilot Truck Stop in Fernley,but I haven't been to these yet.
Is there one near Reno,nv. ? I would love to take my grandson and teach him about this.
It currently has several TV antennas hanging from it. This has the lower base for the revolving beacon mechanism still attached.
As another point of interest, I believe that the revolving beacon assembly on these was actually supported by floating it on a "pool" of mercury. This would be essentially friction-less and would only require a pilot bearing to keep the mechanism centered.
Of interest, I have found 2 locations where the beacon route approaches steep mountains where a clearance beacon/light was constructed to get the planes over the hill to see the next beacon in the adjacent valley w/o running into the side of the mountain in the dark.
I have not paid the fine and I understand they will wait at the customs and immigration if you want to visit Italy again. And the fine goes up every year that you don't pay!
I like the Brasilian Railway Sation Method, you can fly real I F R. ( I folow railroads ) and when you get to the station it points you to the Airport. All Right !!!
In France, we heard about Aeropostale story over South Atlantic and South America...
But here, this is about the way US manage with the distance through the XX century.
Bisous de Paris,
Regards
William
I couldn't help noticing the signs for somewhere called "Ausfahrt" which was a city I'd never heard of and it must have been massive as the signs went for mile after mile.
I later found out it was indicating "off roads" or autobahn exits!
This is a fascinating story about early American aviation, that I never knew about. Thanks for the story.
https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&t=k&ll=40.886,-111.9493&z=20
Is that the one about 50 yards from the tracks,on the East side of Tooele? You can drive down a frontage road and get within about 40 feet of it,an easy walk.
37 3'53.22"N 113 35'43.37"W
37 10'50.12"N 113 24'1.60"W
40 17'45.60"N 118 21'6.48"W
39.510021, -119.922407
Found one west of Albuquerque NM, just north of I-40 and at the hiway 6 intersection.
I wonder why the original map doesn't show it going through southern Utah.
https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&t=k&ll=37.18054847953592,-113.40037049570084&z=20
A 1941 aeronautical sectional of the Lancaster, CA area shows one of these beacons just S of 138 and a bit W of 120th W (look near Little Buttes). Although not part of the transcontinental route, this beacon apparently was operational at the time and I verified the position with a USGS Survey Data Sheet that listed its exact ordinance using the beacon itself as the survey marker. According to the data sheet the last time anyone saw this was 1952. http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/ds_radius.prl
There were pictures of the Marine helicopter that assisted in the move in the TNP airport offices - I believe they are still there. I don't know the precise location of the tower when it was in Needles but it would probably have been part of the original east west TWA route from St Louis to LA.
The night-time lighted airway beacon system is unique to the state of Montana. In the 1920s and 1930s, radio navigation for aircraft was virtually non-existent. Instead, early pilots relied upon a system of federally operated lighted airway beacons. Some of these beacons were quite literally bonfires, lighted and stoked by hardy patrons. Electronic bulbs later replaced the bonfires, lighting airway corridors across mountains and plains for pilots to follow at night and during inclement weather. As technology improved, airway beacons became a thing of the past. Today, Montana is the only state that still utilizes part of this historic network through our rugged western mountains. Division personnel climb and maintain approximately 19 of these beacons on a regular schedule, also providing ownership and ground leases for their operation. http://www.mdt.mt.gov/aviation/beacons.shtml
http://www.atlasobscura.com
Granted, I'm sure there were plenty of routes added after the original one proved the concept....
There were actually two sets of arrows-one for Westbound and one farther South for the Eastbound. I figure this was to absolutely avoid planes going opposite directions colliding.
http://www.cibolahistory.org/aviation-heritage-museum.html