Before a U.S. Army Air Service field was established at Vancouver Barracks in 1921 and Pearson Field was dedicated in 1925, aviation had already reached the post. As part of the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition in Portland, Oregon, eighteen-year-old Lincoln Beachey piloted 23 controlled flights in an airship named the City of Portland. On September 19, 1905, he landed on the parade ground of Vancouver Barracks and delivered a letter from the President of the Lewis and Clark Exposition to General Constant Williams, commander of Vancouver Barracks. The flight was the first powered, controlled flight over the Columbia River and in the state of Washington.

Photo: Kevin W.

Photo: Kevin W.

Portland, Oregon · USA