CHARLES WILLIS HOLMAN:
An Inventory of His Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society
Manuscripts Collection
Part or all of this collection is restricted.
For
details, please see restrictions.
OVERVIEW
| Creator: | Holman, Charles Willis, 1898-1931, creator. | |
| Title: | Charles W. Holman papers. | |
| Dates: | 1921-1938 (bulk 1924-1931). | |
| Language: | Materials in English, French. | |
| Abstract: | Papers of Minnesota aviator and stunt pilot Charles W. Holman, including correspondence, plans for a proposed flight around the world, a flight log book, certificates and membership cards, advertising publicity, and miscellaneous papers. | |
| Quantity: | 0.75 cubic feet (2 boxes and 2 folders in partial box). | |
| Location: | See Detailed Description for shelf locations. |
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Charles Willis Holman was born December 27, 1898, in Bloomington Township, Hennepin County, Minnesota, the son of Willis Judson and Jane Elizabeth (Rowlands) Holman. A high school dropout, Holman early gained a reputation as a daredevil motorcycle rider. By 1917 this reputation expanded to barnstorming aerial antics, including parachute jumping. By 1922, as part of the flying exhibitions given by the Larrabee Brothers, Holman's prowess with speed and aircraft maneuvers thrilled air show goers throughout the Midwest, earning him the appellation "Speed." In 1923, he took first place in the stunt flying competition at St. Louis' National Pulitzer Races. The next year, he took second place in the Minot, North Dakota to Dayton, Ohio, air race. In 1926 he was employed by Northwest Airways to pilot its planes carrying air mail between the Twin Cities and Chicago; he rose to operations manager of the company. In 1927, he won the New York to Spokane Air Derby in his plane, National Eagle.
When another stunt flyer broke his world record of 1,093 consecutive aerial loops, Holman flew over St. Paul while a Northwest clerk tallied 1,433 loops, a record that would stand for 22 years. In August 1930 he took first place in the Chicago National Air Race. As part of Red Jackson's Flying Circus, he performed over the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. On May 17, 1931, as Holman was participating in an air show at Omaha, Nebraska, his plane crashed, resulting in his death.
On July 31, 1925, Holman married Elvera (Dee) Swanson at Bay View, Emmet County, Michigan. He was the first inductee into the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame, and St. Paul's downtown airport is named in his honor.
ARRANGEMENT
These documents are organized into the following sections:
| Correspondence, Cards, and Other Papers | ||
| Reserve Materials | ||
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Access Restrictions:
Access to and use of reserve materials requires the curator's permission.
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Charles W. Holman Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.
See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.
Accession Information:
Accession number: 16,584
Processing Information:
Processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with a Basic Project grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).
Digitization of reserve material was made possible by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the vote of Minnesotans on November 4, 2008.
Digitized by: Patrick Blaine, December 2011.
Catalog ID number: 990074621520104294
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
CORRESPONDENCE, CARDS, AND OTHER PAPERS
| Box | |||||||||||||
| P2797 | 1 | Correspondence: | |||||||||||
| Correspondence and miscellaneous papers, undated and 1921, 1924-1931, 1936. 2 folders. | |||||||||||||
| Includes correspondence and telegrams regarding Holman's participation in the Dayton (Ohio) air show (1924), the Spokane (Washington) air show (1927), and the National Air Race International Classic (1930), documentation of Holman's marriage (1925), an income tax return (1927), and legal papers regarding property purchases and lawsuits. | |||||||||||||
| Charles's letters to Elvera Swanson, undated and 1924-1927. 2 folders. | |||||||||||||
| Letters to Holman's girlfriend (later wife) from numerous locations throughout the United States. | |||||||||||||
| Sympathy letters and telegrams, undated and 1931. 4 folders. | |||||||||||||
| Received by Elvera Holman and Northwest Airways officials after Charles' death; includes sympathy resolutions from organizations. | |||||||||||||
| Sympathy cards, undated. 2 folders. | |||||||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||||
| P2797 | 2 | Floral tribute cards, undated. | |||||||||||
| Received by Elvera Holman and Northwest Airways officials after Charles' death. | |||||||||||||
| Newspapers clippings, undated and 1930, 1936, 1938. | |||||||||||||
| Photographs, 1927-1931. 5 items in 1 folder: | |||||||||||||
| Holman in front of Stinson Detroiter airplane, September 1927. 1 photograph: b&w; 8 x 10 in. and 1 negative: b&w; 8 x 10 in. | |||||||||||||
| The Laird Speedwing "Solution", September 1930. 1 photograph: b&w; 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 in. | |||||||||||||
| Includes an inset of Holman as first place winner in Thompson Trophy Race (Chicago, Illinois). | |||||||||||||
| Spectators surrounding Holman's plane after crash at Omaha, 1931. 1 photograph: b&w; 8 x 10 in. and 1 negative: b&w; 8 x 10 in.. | |||||||||||||
| Plans for proposed flight around the world, circa 1929-1930. | |||||||||||||
| Poems, undated. | |||||||||||||
| Publicity, undated. 2 items in 1 folder: | |||||||||||||
| Announcing the Blackstone & Holman Flying Circus, Saint Paul, Minn., undated. 1 flier (4 leaves); 22 x 28 cm. | |||||||||||||
| Frost's - Now and Then!, undated. 1 poster : b&w ; 22 x 28 cm. | |||||||||||||
| Speech, undated. | |||||||||||||
| Text of speech by Holman recounting his second place finish at the Dayton (Ohio) air show. | |||||||||||||
| Cancelled checks, 1924-1931, 1937. | |||||||||||||
| Contents of black wallet labeled "WACO Airplanes," undated. | |||||||||||||
| Includes business card of Charles W. Holman as Operations Manager for Northwest Airways, inc., and photographs of Charles as an infant with (presumably) his mother; with (presumably) his wife; and numerous poses of (presumably) his wife. | |||||||||||||
RESERVE MATERIALS
| Reserve 135 | Flight log book, December 5, 1929-May 17, 1931. 1 volume in folder. | ||||||||||||
| Access Restricted. | |||||||||||||
Digital version, December 5, 1929-August 1, 1930
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Digital version, August 2-December 3, 1930
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Digital version, December 18, 1930-May 17, 1931
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| Certificates and membership cards, 1917-1931. 9 items in 1 folder: | |||||||||||||
| Access Restricted. | |||||||||||||
| Founder life membership card, Calhoun Beach Club (Minneapolis), undated. | |||||||||||||
Digital version
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| Membership certificate, National Amateur Wireless Association, undated. | |||||||||||||
| Membership expires July 1917. | |||||||||||||
Digital version
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| Pilot's certificate, Post Office Department, Contract Air Mail Service, 1926. | |||||||||||||
| For Holman. | |||||||||||||
Digital version
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| Pilot's certificate, Post Office Department, Contract Air Mail Service, 1926. | |||||||||||||
| For Edwin H. Middagh. | |||||||||||||
Digital version
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| Sporting license, Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, 1927. | |||||||||||||
| Signed by Orville Wright. | |||||||||||||
Digital version
| |||||||||||||
| Aviator's certificate, Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, September 1, 1927. | |||||||||||||
| Signed by Orville Wright. | |||||||||||||
Digital version
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| Sporting license, Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, 1928. | |||||||||||||
| Signed by Orville Wright. | |||||||||||||
Digital version
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| Membership card, National Rifle Association, 1928. | |||||||||||||
Digital version
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| Appointment certificate, delegate to Third Annual National Airport Conference (Tulsa, Oklahoma), March 23, 1931. | |||||||||||||
| Signed by Minnesota Governor Floyd B. Olson. | |||||||||||||
Digital version
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CATALOG HEADINGS
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.
- Topics:
- Air pilots -- Minnesota.
- Air shows.
- Aircraft accidents -- Nebraska -- Omaha.
- Persons:
- Wright, Orville, 1871-1948.
- Organizations:
- Northwest Airways, Inc.
- Document Types:
- Licenses.
- Logs (records).
- Membership cards.
- Photographs.
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