Did you see the segment that ran on Channel 8 back in 2016 about the restoration efforts?
“It’s almost like something out of a sci-fi movie. Giant concrete arrows scattered across the country, each of them pointing to another arrow. But these giant arrows weren’t built by aliens, rather they were built by the US government. Their sole purpose was to help guide the very first airmail pilots in the 1920’s.
“‘So they put these arrows in between 10 to 20 miles apart with beacons to guide the airplanes to their right direction, because they kept getting lost,’ said Greg Cobia, a pilot and aviation history enthusiast from Blackfoot.”
Outdoor Idaho offers an excellent short history of flying in Idaho. The state’s storied connection with aviation begins early in the twentieth century. It was here, in the Intermountain West, that commercial airmail first took hold, on the Pasco-Boise-Elko route, courtesy of Varney Air Lines, which later became United Airlines.
Take a look at the events of National Airmail Week back in 1938, when airmail was only 20 years old.
Have you seen what the Cibola County Historical Society did down in New Mexico? They had to move the arrow to their site, but they’ve done a wonderful job of restoration. It is our goal to create a tour and museum for aviation heritage in Idaho.
This is a really good article on the system and it even includes information on Idaho!
Concrete Arrows and the U.S. Airmail Beacon System