Who was the first person to fly an airplane? This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers flight in Kitty Hawk. Their 1903 adventure is widely considered the dawn of air travel. But there may have been an earlier pilot-Lyman Gilmore of Grass Valley.

Gilmore had experimented with flight for years. In the late 1890s, Gilmore had constructed a glider with an 18-foot wingspan. When pulled by a horse, the glider could fly. On its first flight, Gilmore borrowed his employer's horse as the power source for the contraption. It soared, but the horse was terrified, and Gilmore was fired. In 1902, Gilmore built a 32-foot plane that was powered by a steam engine. At that time, no one had yet attained mechanized flight. In May of that year, Gilmore claimed that he successfully flew his steam airplane-well in advance of the Wrights. Few, if any, witnesses claimed to be present and many doubted whether Gilmore had flown. Most believed the heavy device had never left the ground.

When it was confirmed that the Wright Brothers had actually flown in 1903, Gilmore was crestfallen. He continued experimenting, however, and soon afterward produced a large fuselage, enclosed cabin monster that no contemporary engine on earth could have possibly lifted. Gilmore continued to press his claim that he was the first to fly, but few credited him. He did have a more substantial argument that he had built the first commercial airport in the world. Others more modestly felt Gilmore's airfield was more likely to have been the first airport in the United States or in the West, but this documented accomplishment was significant regardless of scope.

Gilmore did fly, but no solid evidence exists that any of his machines were the vehicle used. He was becoming well known for his daring do, however. In 1909, a local newspaper referred to Gilmore as "... a full-fledged aviator who made a flight without breaking his neck." After World War I. Gilmore staged air shows at his Grass Valley aerodrome that featured exhibitions by famous aviators. The hangars bordering the runways presented public displays of Gilmore's flying machines.

In addition to his experimentation with aircraft, Gilmore developed an early version of the rotary snowplow utilized by railroads to clear the tracks. Gilmore was offered $10,000 for the production rights, but he held out for $20,000. The interested company stonewalled Gilmore and a prototype snowplow was constructed copying Gilmore's concept. Lyman Gilmore received nothing. The experience generated a deep distrust of those who were commercially attracted to his inventions.

Lyman Gilmore ran his airport and dabbled in experimental aircraft for the rest of his life. He never dropped his assertion that he was the first man to fly a powered aircraft. In 1935, his airplanes and hangars were destroyed by fire. Following the fire, Gilmore focused on gold mining. With some financial backing, he gained control of the Iowa Mine. Distrust of his partners, however, led Gilmore to dynamite his mine and enter into litigation to reestablish his primary claim. His mine never did produce. But others thought that the mine was rich. The Santos Gang, which had terrorized other miners, approached Gilmore and threatened him with violence. Gilmore quite rightly stated that the mine was poor and the gang left him alone.

By the 1940s, Lyman Gilmore was sick and broke. And famous. Gilmore had become renowned as an eccentric inventor -- and for something else. As an election bet with his brother at the turn of the century, Gilmore vowed never to cut his hair or beard until William Jennings Bryan was elected president. As a result, Gilmore wore long locks and a flowing beard until his death in 1951 at age 74. Today, Lyman Gilmore's airport is the location of the Lyman Gilmore School in Grass Valley. On the grounds are remnants of its runways. A large, colorful mural depicting Gilmore's aviation adventures graces the side of one school building. The Smithsonian occasionally shows a film on Lyman Gilmore that documents his 1920s activities.

All images - courtesy of Nevada County Historical Society
Gilmore A.jpg = The Gilmore Brothers, Lyman Gilmore on the right.