October 3, 1935: Aviatrix Amelia Earhart visits Duluth

On this day in Duluth in 1935, Ameila Earhart visited the Zenith City, staying at the Holland House Hotel and entertaining a large crowd at the Duluth Armory that evening. Donning a brown flying jacket and “slacks,” Miss Earhart was described by the Duluth Herald as “even more cordial than she has been pictured.” While in Duluth, the aviatrix made bold predictions about the future of air travel, saying that “the day is not distant when a businessman will fly to and from his office or take his wife shopping in a $700 plane.” ($700 in 1935 is roughly equivalent to $11,000 today.) She also spoke of a more realistic future for commercial flight: “The airplane of tomorrow will be used to carry passengers and light freight, principally postage, while the trains and water carriers will haul the bulky freight.” She recalled that her greatest thrill as a flier was the first time she flew solo, saying that “the thrill of it is indescribable.” When asked about future flights, she replied that “a flier loves to dream and is always hoping. We aim for the moon, you know.” Less than two years after her visit to the Zenith City, Earhart’s dreams ended when she disappeared over the Pacific ocean during her attempt to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the globe.

Amelia Earhart photographed in 1935 wearing the same brown flying jacket she likely wore during her visit to Duluth. (Image: Public Domain)