Radio Technology

Sometimes, even the smallest of towns can find themselves the center of attention of a nation or even the whole world. Nevertheless, I seriously doubt if tiny little Medicine Bow, Wyoming thought it would amount to all that. At its peak in 1990, Medicine Bow had a population of 408. The lowest population was a stable 238 between 2000 and 2023. With these small numbers, I’m sure that Medicine Bow, while loyal to its small-town vibe and to it population, never thought it would be a well-known place.

So, how did Medicine Bow get its “15 minutes of fame” moment? It wasn’t anything Medicine Bow did, but rather it was thrust upon the small town. In February 1931, advances in radio technology reached tiny Medicine Bow allowing pilots to fly coast to coast regardless of weather conditions. How could such a tiny place become such a big deal for the world of aviation? It was actually a surprise to many. While its significance went largely unrecognized at the time, historians now compare the event to the of the golden spike that marked the completion of the transcontinental railroad 62 years earlier.

The completion of the Medicine Bow low-frequency radio signal, linking the radio beams from Springs and Cheyenne, Wyoming, completed the route from San Francisco to New York. This advancement enabled pilots to traverse the country with unprecedented safety and efficiency. The achievement marked a transformation for aviation and the trans airmail system, paving the way for the airlines that we all rely on today. Prior to the radio advances, there were flights, but it was more difficult for pilots to find their way across the country. During those years, the railroad had played a part in navigation. From the air, early U.S. Mail pilots followed the tracks, referring to them as “the iron compass.” Frequently, mail was transported part of the way by airplanes and then transferred to trains for land-based delivery. A system of beacons and concrete arrows, visible from the air, was installed to guide the pilots day and night so-called contact flying.

Transcontinental airmail originated during World War I, as a result of an initiative by U.S. Post Office executives. The war had spurred significant progress in aircraft design and reliability, so airmail was the next logical step. But flying even over short distances with unreliable compasses, inadequate maps, and no ground-based navigational aids, caused pilots to get lost often. Contact flying helped, but night flight or flying during storms was still dangerous. Despite the hazards, the mail got through, and in fact, the completion rate gradually improved to 95 percent or better. By 1921, the U.S. Airmail Service had established its role as a daytime-only operation between New York and San Francisco, commonly known as Columbia Route or the T Route. Mail planes would land each evening at designated locations, where the mail was transferred to a waiting train for further transport. In the morning, another plane would retrieve the mail to continue the journey. This leapfrogging system provoked criticism from congressional appropriation committees and disdain from rail officials, as it offered only a negligible commercial benefit.

With the threat of cancellation of the program by Congress, Colonel Paul Henderson, Second Assistant Postmaster General, decided to stage a daring night flight, to prove the value of the airmail program. So, on February 22, 1921, a daring night flight began, flying from coast to coast. Only one pilot got through. Jack Knight, who braved treacherous winter weather in a heroic night flight between North Platte and Chicago, succeeded in convincing congressional members of the value of the airmail system. That proved that something had to be done to make it safer for the pilots. So, they began to come up with ways to make night flight safer. The resulting “something” was the radio technology that was put in place when radio technology came to tiny Medicine Bow, Wyoming.