First in Flight


One of Montana's great early aviators and the man behind Laurel Airport is WWI Army Air Corp pilot, Seymour Anderson.  Described as an aviation pioneer, Anderson's Curtis biplane could be seen throughout the state during the early part of the 20th Century.  Many local farmers met the spirited pilot during his infamous field landings. (thus earining him the title of 'barnstormer'). During proibition, his route took him up to Canada and back, where he made golf course drops to thirsty locals.  After the war, he delivered mail out of Logan Airport in Billings, and performed as part of a circus acrobatic team across the state.  But some might say that his biggest accomplishment was surviving nearly two dozen crashes throughout his lifetime.

Read more about him in "Montana and the Sky, The Beginning of Aviation in the Land of the Shining Mountains" by Frank Wiley.  Anderson was also featured in the January 14, 2004 edition of the Laurel Outlook.