Back in 1870 when Butte was incorporated, the horse, the mule and ox provided, except for the steam locomotive and the steamboat the only motive power known.

Butte saw its first “flying machine” at the old race track south of the city in 1910.  The crowd was a skeptical one.  A young daredevil had promised to navigate a contraption called a flying machine and keep it aloft for 30 minutes.  Butte was getting used to the idea of an automobile. The idea of an airplane was fantastic.

The young aviator, whose name was Moroni, was a little fearful himself, even though he had managed on the previous day to fly the plane from Gregson Hot Springs to Butte.  He had been practicing at Gregson several days.

The ship failed to get off the ground.  The committee members who had promised the 4th of July celebration crowd that the machine would fly for 30 minutes were disappointed.  Included on the committee were Louis Dreibelbis, pioneer businessman, and George Nelson.  They “stuck by” the pilot and arranged the exhibition for the next day.  The second day was more successful.  The ship cleared the race track fence and circled over the area south of the city for some 45 minutes.  Thus Butte saw its first airplane in flight, a flight which was also one of the first in Montana. 

Aviation had gripped the imagination of some, including Edward P. Dawson, 1112 Missouri Ave.  He built himself a plane, the first aircraft constructed in Montana so far as is known and set his first flight for Aug., 1911.  Another record crowd assembled on the flat to watch Dawson's plane take off.  It was a thrill to Butte to see a home-made ship flying through the air, even though it was only for a short distance.  Dawson's plane had a wingspread of 24 feet, weighed 780 pounds, and was powered by twin Detroit engines developing from 35 to 50 horsepower.  It was a tricky craft, however, and frequently damaged in landings.

However it wasn't until 1920 that Butte Saw its first passenger plane.  Inland Empire Aerial operated six “huge” Curtiss planes with a seating capacity of 1 or 2 people.

America's oldest airline, Western Air Lines, Inc., (established in 1926) which first took to the skies on April 17, 1926, through National Parks Airways, was the first commercial airline to operate in and out of Butte.

In June of 1927, ground was broken on 80 acres south of the city for a new airport.  Lacking a name, the Daily Miner Newspaper ran a contest offering $35 for the best name.  Some of the more popular names were;  “Mile High Airport”, “Port O'Copper”, and “Pedlars Field”.  The Airport was eventually named Butte Municipal Airport.

Aviation progressed in Butte with the announcement of national parks Airway purchasing Inland Empire Aerial.  Butte was now going to have 3 daily flights to Salt Lake City.  John D. Ryan, chairman of the board for the Anaconda Company, seeing a need for a new and improved airport, donated $15,000 for the purchase of 400 acres adjacent to the existing airport.  He then donated an additional $10,000 for the necessary improvements.

Purchase of National Parks Airways, a 523-miles airline between Salt Lake City and Great Falls, put Western in first place among airlines offering western vacation and scenic tours, a distinction it still enjoys.

Norwest Orient Airlines (then N.W. Airways) brought service into Butte Oct. 23, 1933, as a climax to one of the most exciting periods in the airline drive from the Midwest to the Pacific Coast.

The airline had extended its routes from its headquarters at Minneapolis-St. Paul as far as Billings.  It had advances, station by station, through Fargo, Grand Forks, Valley City, Jamestown, Bismarck, Glendive and Miles City.

Now it faced a problem.  It was a problem compounded by the rugged terrain and the mechanical limitations of airplanes available in those days.

So, from Billings, Northwest's pilots would make daily sorties into the mountainous areas, studying the topography, probing the passes, making note of weather, and landmarks, and wind currents.

They pierced Bozeman Pass which led to the Gallatin Valley, as well as Mullan Pass, Priest Pass and MacDonald Pass.  After each flight the pilot would report his personal findings when he returned to Billings. In this way the crews accumulated a wide store of knowledge.

Then, on October 23, 1933, it was put to the test when the first flight reached Butte, then Helena, then Spokane.  That brought Northwest's routes clear across Minnesota, the Dakotas and Montana into Eastern Washington.  On December 3, 1933, the drive to the coast was completed with a flight into Seattle from Spokane.

Trailblazers of aviation in the Butte and Treasure State Airways included such men as A.W. Stephenson, Western; Jack Lynch, Butte who died in a crash with W.A. Clark III: Matt Alexander, Butte; Earl Vance, Great Falls, Frank Wiley, Miles City and Bert Mooney. Northwest was flying Hamiltons, Tri-Motor Fords & Taper Wing Wacos.

With the Airport being touted as one of the finest in the country, Western Airlines purchased National Park Airways and began service into Butte in 1937.

Butte Airport pictures provided by a weather observer Rex Wood. Thank You.

In a letter from from Western Airlines in May of 1954, Ken Smith, Manager of the News Bureau, noted:

Western will mark the 17th anniversary of its service to Butte on August 1, 1954.  Western service was inaugurated on Aug. 1, 1937, after acquisition of National Parks Airways, the original Montana airline.  

Since that inaugural flight, Western has carried more than 74,000 Butte passengers, the equivalent of double the city's population.  Last year, L.J. “Buzz” Cunningham, Western's manager at Butte, boarded 5,742 passengers at Municipal Airport, and business this year is running substantially ahead of 1953.  

Incidentally, you may be interested to know that air traffic surveys indicate Butte travelers most often fly to Great Falls, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle, in that order.

The Airport changed its name to Silver Bow County Airport in 1960, and eventually to its current name, Bert Mooney Airport in 1972.

Bert Mooney was one of the greatest aviators known to Butte.  Mooney began his flying career under the direction of Jack Lynch, the man who taught Charles Lindbergh to fly.  On June 22, 1935, Mooney made history when he flew the first mail into Yellowstone National Park.  His commercial career began with Inland Empire Aerial, National Park Airways, and ended with Western Airlines.

First Mail Delivered to Butte