The Mysterious Giant 70-Foot Concrete Arrows Across the Land

Across the United States are the remains of a network of large concrete arrows that seem to point east or north. These giant arrows were called “Beacon Stations,” and many can still be found intact. From 1926 to 1932 they guided airmail pilots flying across the nation. Can’t you just picture them looking over the sides of their open aired biplanes looking for giant concrete yellow arrows?

Concrete arrow with biplane overhead.Photo byDppowell, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons /edited by Colorado Martini

Concrete Arrow Design

Each was made of concrete (later metal), with a 500-foot tower that was crowned with a 24" or 36" rotating beacon. In the early days the arrows were painted yellow for high visibility. Because of their remote location, they were equipped with a generator shed on end of the arrow to power the beacon. The shed roof was painted with the site number so the pilot could identify the location.

Concrete arrow site designPhoto byU.S. DOT FAA., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Each numbered site pointed to the next sequential site to direct the airmail pilots along the transcontinental route. All arrows pointed east on the west to east routes and north on the south to north routes.

Did you know about these arrows? Let us know in the comments.

The arrow sites were built between December 1926 and November 1932. The path of these 100-year-old arrows were places across the United States. Many of them still exist, but none are known to still exist in Colorado. Twelve arrows are relatively intact in the state of Wyoming. But four of them you can be found in bits and pieces. Many of the Wyoming sites are in the middle of nowhere and either on public or private land. Many arrows in Sweetwater County, Wyoming have erected signage to the arrows. See sites below.

Map of arrow location path in 1924.Photo byPublic Domain, Unknown Source

See the Existing Arrows from an Internet Map

There are many existing arrows in Southern Wyoming. Below I have provided just some of Wyoming arrows GPS coordinates that still exist. You can use the GPS coordinates to do a simple internet search to find some of the existing arrows. Make sure to have your internet map on satellite mode. Then you can visibly see the arrow as you zoom in. I also include a couple I thought were interesting in California and Colorado. Remember that some of these might be on private property. Never trespass on anyone’s land if you decide to visit them in person.

Do you know of any of these arrows around you? Let us know in the comments.

Bacon station in the 1920'sPhoto byFAA Photo Album

Wyoming

• Laramie County: 30 minutes Northwest of Cheyenne. Name: 40 SL-O Silver Crown, site No. 40 on the Salt Lake City-Omaha Airway. GPS: 41.196869, -105.047817.
• Laramie County: 27 minutes east of Cheyenne. Just off a dirt road. Easy to see with a drone. 43 SL-O Hillsdale, site No. 43 Salt Lake City-Omaha Airway. GPS: 41.181378, -104.503735
• Laramie County: 15 minutes east of Cheyenne. Easy to see with a drone. 42 SL-O Westedt, site No. 42 Salt Lake City-Omaha Airway. AKA Archer, site No. 42 Salt Lake-Omaha Airway. GPS: 41.164781, -104.674513.
• Sweetwater County: On private property (do not trespass). Looks to have a bend. 12 SL-O Granger, Department of Commerce Intermediate Landing Field, site No. 12 on the Salt Lake City-Omaha Airway. GPS: 41.598768, -109.982662,
• Sweetwater County: West of Green River, WY. 14 SL-O Bryan, site No. 14 on the Salt Lake City-Omaha Airway. GPS: 41.562086, -109.678035.
• Sweetwater County: Painted orange. Located on the edge of a cliff overlooking Interstate 80. 18 SL-O Point of Rocks, Site No. 18 on the Salt Lake City-Omaha Airway. GPS: 41.678992, -108.771934.
• Carbon County: Commonly called Medicine Bow Airport. The Medicine Bow Arrow is in a small airport approximately ½ mile off of Hwy 30 in the town of Medicine Bow. The road to the airport is a county-maintained dirt road. This arrow still had the original beacon tower (and beacon) along with the original generator shed. AKA 32 SL-O Medicine Bow DOCILF, Department of Commerce Intermediate Landing Field, site no. 32 on the Salt Lake-Omaha airway. GPS: 41.887107, -106.189908

Northern California

Contra Costa County: In the Bay Area. This one I found very interesting. This is a rare double shafted, double pointed arrow. Two airmail routes passed over this arrow. It is covered with graffiti. Commonly called Walnut Creek Arrow. On a ridgetop behind Acalanes High School on the Lafayette/Walnut Creek border in the Acalanes Ridge Open Space Acalanes South Trail, 1215 Bacon Way, Lafayette. AKA; Department of Commerce site No.1B, San Francisco-Seattle Airway; 1B SF-SL Acalanes Ridge. GPS: 37.902652, -122.078105

Northern Colorado (no longer exist)

• PID: LL1272. Might have some remnants. Near CO/WY border. Designation: PUEBLO CHEYENNE AIRWAY BCN 19. Coordinates: 40.98976294,-104.8013696
• PID: LL1245. Weld County, CO. Designation: BEACON 3. Coordinates: 40.37820563,-104.8720123
• PID: LL1223 Greeley, CO. Designation: PUEBLO CHEYENNE AIRWAY BCN 15: Coordinates: 40.39701853,-104.6907116/ Status Report: This beacon no longer stands. This location is currently the Mexican restaurant Almanza's.
• PID: LL1260 Ault, CO. Designation: PUEBLO CHEYENNE AIRWAY BCN 16. Coordinates: 40.58129056,-104.7308762

Do you think you are going to seek out some of these arrows in your area? Let us know in the comments.

• Find more in the area.
• Map of Airway Beacons

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References

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcontinental_Airway_System
• Navigation Arrows, Dppowell, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Transcontinental_Air_Mail_Route_Beacon_37A.jpg, Retrieved February 16, 2021.
• Navigation Map, Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Transcontinental_Air_Mail_Map_1924.jpg, Retrieved February 16, 2021.
• Beacon, Mark Wagner (User:Carnildo), CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Transcontinental_Airway_beacon_61B-20160604.jpg, Retrieved February 16, 2021.
• Bi-plane, Airwolfhound from Hertfordshire, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sopwith_Camel_-_Season_Premiere_Airshow_2018_(42058141172).jpg, Retrieved February 16, 2021.
• https://lafayettehistory.org/1920s-acalanes-ridge-mail-arrow-featured-on-history-hunters/
• https://www.dreamsmithphotos.com/arrow/States/wy/18_wy_32_medicine_bow.html
• https://thesurveystation.com/map-of-ngs-airway-beacons/
• https://thesurveystation.com/airway-beacons-list-western-u-s/
• https://www.faa.gov/about/history/photo_album/foundation