The Air Age Comes to Marfa Side: 2
10 p., 28 cm.View a full description of this photograph.
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His father, .apt in 0. P. Rodgers, was struck end killed by
li.'rtning while on a cavulry patrol in W et Texas three months
before Cal Rodgers was born. Tt meant very much for Rodgers to
win the race from coast-to-coaat because the winner Pe~k fifty-
thousand dollars. Rodgers went on to win this fliht but the prize
money had been canceled before Rcdgers could finish the flight.
Rodgers had spent about twenty-thousand dollars of his own money
during this fli7ht.6
Before Rodgers resiced arfs e bhd several mishaps and close
calls. In one such incident Rodgers had a sudden motor failure
over a cow pasture in Indiana. Unfortunately for Rodgers a large
bull dwelled in this pasture and wes very much upset with this in-
trusion from the sky. Rodgers using ibis wits and some help with
his coat pranced about the pasture in true matador fashion eluding
the beast from his fragile plane thus saving it from being n stily
gored. While flying between Fort Worth and Dallas Rodgers was
challenged by an eagle to serial combat. With quick evasive
action Rodgers avoided a rather messy collison.7
Rodgers landed in Marfk because he was using the rail-
roads as a comass. Mrs. Joe C. Mitchell witnessed the landing
of this unique craft in Marfa. She was ten years old at the time.
She remembers seeing a tiny speck in the sky before Rodgers landed.8
In many towns to which Rodgers flew the young children would want
to write their names on the plane's wings. In Mrfa Mr. William
L. Cle$veland put his initials upon one of the wings. Later Mr.Cle veland visited the Smithsonin Instituta~, where the Vin
Fiz Flyer is now kept, and saw his initials still upon the wing%.9
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Walker, John. The Air Age Comes to Marfa, photograph, October 13, 1972; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth88247/m1/3/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Marfa Public Library.