I always like to scan the world wide web for new findings on North Central history that might be out there whether it is an interesting item for sale on eBay or something like this from a monastery on Lake Superior in Minnesota. Ok, the North Central history is not in the monastery, but it is in the Duluth airport. However, on the weblog, “Monastic Musings” I found this image and a description. The writer is Edith OSB.
“I noticed a plaque at the Duluth airport commemorating its dedication and noting the significant contributions made by North Central Airlines, including the logo of that airline which was subsumed first by Republic Airlines and then by Northwest Airlines decades ago. With Northwest's coming merger with Delta, all traces of the "northland" in the airline industry will disappear. A little nostalgia for flying under the sign of the full moon and the duck seems in order. Others who have fond memories have a North Central Airlines website, tracing the history all the way back to Wisconsin Central Airlines' founding in 1944 as an outgrowth of the air dept of the Four Wheel Drive Company (FWD), a major manufacturer of four wheel transmissions and heavy duty trucks. In 1939, they desired a better way to transport their staff than the diminishing rail service or primitive road system could provide, and so they formed a flight department. The plaque is placed on a now out-of-the-way wall. Disembarking passengers rush past it on their way to baggage claim. It opens my eyes to these pieces of history that must be scattered around the city. Perhaps now I'll notice more of them.
Posted by Edith OSB on Tuesday, January 06, 2009”
Edith made a great find! Herman looks a little worse for wear on the plaque. I wonder how his nose and tail got bent. What else is out there along the route of the Northliners where airports remain largely intact from those days? The Carr – Woolman Flight Appreciation Center is dedicated to North Central and Delta archaeology. Thanks again Edith!
Wonderful find! It just proves to show, whenever one is in a Midwest airport, even the smallest, Herman may be lurking about...be sure to check for him!
Posted by: Peder Flaten | March 11, 2009 at 07:32 PM