Aviation Meet postcard
Eureka, California's New Era Park Aviation Exhibition took place on April 21, 1912. The local businessmen's association sponsored the exhibition, during which pilot Weldon B. Cooke flew 147 pieces of mail from the park, across Humbolt Bay, to Eureka, where Cooke dropped the pouch to postal officials. The Post Office Department in Washington, DC, officially designated this service as Route No. 676,001.
As seen in this example, the circular postmark used at the exhibition contained no date. It reads, "AEROPLANE POST / U.S. MAIL / EUREKA, CALIF." Collectors believe that manuscript and typed dates were added to the postmark on some items at a later time. This particular postcard was addressed to Eureka's chief of police, F. E. Cloney, and its postmark cancels the 1-cent Franklin stamp.
