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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Ashland Calendar, June 3, 2016 ... Ashland Kiwanis reaches out to teen moms ... Ticket availability ... Ashland Calendar, June 3, 2016 ... Ashland Kiwanis reaches out to teen moms ... Ticket availability ... AS IT WAS As It Was: Seely Hall, Jackson County's 'Father of Aviation' Comment By Craig Stillwell Southern Oregon Historical Society DailyTidings.com By Craig Stillwell Southern Oregon Historical Society Posted May. 25, 2016 at 5:41 PM By Craig Stillwell Southern Oregon Historical Society Posted May. 25, 2016 at 5:41 PM » RELATED CONTENT • As It Was: Memories of the McCloud Aquacade • As It Was: Ashland Natatorium gave way to Twin Plunges • As It Was: An active senior citizen who headed for the hills — and stayed... • As It Was: Maryum's rose rode west on a wagon train » Social News It was 1905 when 12-year-old Seely Hall from Central Point took a brief ride in a tethered balloon at the Lewis and Clark Exposition in Portland. That taste of flight foreshadowed a long career in aviation and public transportation. By 1914, Hall was driving tourists from Medford to Crater Lake in a custom-built 1911 Cadillac. He also helped create Medford’s first auto camp. Eventually, Hall flew airplanes in the Army Air Corps during the first world war. In 1919, Hall and two partners gathered enough investors to purchase a surplus Curtis Jenny biplane, christened “The Mayfly.” It was Medford’s first airplane. Six years later, Hall helped Vern Gorst, of Pacific Air Transport, get a government contract to provide airmail service on the West Coast with Medford as the base. Hall managed the Medford station for a few years and worked to get Medford’s airfield moved to its present site on Biddle Road. Gorst’s Pacific Air Transport merged in 1931 with others to form United Airlines. After many promotions and transfers, Hall’s career with United ended in the jetliner age. Today, Seely Hall, who died in Medford in 1984, is known as Jackson County’s "Father of Aviation." Sources: Alley, Bill. “Seely Hall: Jackon County’s Father of Aviation,” Southern Oregon Heritage Today, Vol. 2, no. 4 (April 2000), p. 14; The Smith Brothers' Chronological History of Crater Lake National Park, www.craterlakeinstitute.com/cultural-history/smith-brothers-chronology/smiths-chronology-1914.htm; “Father of Aviation in Jackson County,” Jackson County Airport Authority, www.co.jackson.or.us/Page.asp?NavID=86 . As It Was is a co-production of Jefferson Public Radio and the Southern Oregon Historical Society. As It Was stories are broadcast weekdays on Jefferson Public Radio and are available online at asitwas.org . By Craig Stillwell Southern Oregon Historical Society DailyTidings.com By Craig Stillwell Southern Oregon Historical Society Posted May. 25, 2016 at 5:41 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501