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Wiley Post & Will Rogers crash
Barrow, Alaska
August 15, 1935
The envelopes seen below were flown from Barrow following the dedication of a memorial to Wiley Post and Will Rogers. The men had been killed while attempting
to take off from a tidal lagoon near Barrow. Wiley Post, one of the most famous aviators in the world at the time, was flying the bright red Lockheed Orion
Sirius Explorer on floats. Most experts now believe that a combination of miscalculations in the design
and operation of the heavily customized aircraft resulted in the uncontrollable spin that occurred right after takeoff.
The cover below had the following insert:
Barrow, Alaska, August 15, 1938
Your order helped make possible the Rogers-Post Memorial Marker dedicated today. At the last minute it was decided to have
printed some WILL ROGERS envelopes, with a fine drawing of him alone, to be mailed at Barrow direct to Claremore, Oklahoma. The
inscription says, "This cover mailed at Barrow, Alaska, near the place of death of Will Rogers,
August 15, 1938. Third anniversary and Memorial Marker Dedication Day. Back cancel at Claremore, Oklahoma, near place of birth,
November 4, 1938. 59th Anniversary of birth date, and Dedication Day of Oklahoma State Will Rogers
Memorial." These will be the only covers for Rogers alone bearing both birth and death dates on
the two dedication Days. You will undoubtedly want some for yourself and friends. The price is FIFTY CENTS EACH,
necessitated by the additional expense involved. Because of limited number, orders should be sent at once to
ROGERS-POST EXPEDITION, care Earl Wheeler, Assistant Postmaster, CLAREMORE, OKLAHOMA. You will
receive orders after November 4th.
HOMER FLINT KELLEMS, Director
Wiley Post 1933 crash at Flat, Alaska
A photo and description of a crash that occurred during his solo round-the-world flight.
NC14259, the Post-Rogers Funeral Plane
This Lockheed 10C Electra operated by Pacific Alaska Airways was used to carry the bodies from Alaska to the States.
Renton, Washington
This illustrated article focuses on Post and Rogers' visit to what is now the Will Rogers - Wiley Post Memorial Seaplane Base.
Will Rogers
An excellent biography from the National Aviation Hall of Fame.
Wiley Post
A biography from the National Aviation Hall of Fame.
Wiley Post
An excellent biography from Acepilots.com.
When the Laughing Stopped: The Strange, Sad Death of Will Rogers
In this new (2011) book, author John Evangelist Walsh draws on extensive original research to recount the tragic story of the crash with a wealth of new detail, as well as providing a moving portrait of the unfortunate Mary Rogers, Will's daughter, whose life was greatly undone by her father's untimely death.
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