The US Airmail Beacon System

My parents came for a visit last month. Ninety-five percent of the reason for their visit was to see us, but the other five percent was to check out a little piece of history near Laramie.
The US Airmail System used concrete arrows to direct its pilots in the days before electronic navigation. While most of the arrows were destroyed or rendered obsolete by improved on-board navigational systems, some still exist in various states of repair. My dad, a pilot, learned that there were several arrows in our part of Wyoming, and decided to visit them on the trip. He and my mom took Sammy out to visit one near Cheyenne, and the whole family got to visit the one in Medicine Bow.

The beacon is still standing at the arrow in Medicine Bow, a rarity.

Dad actually climbed the beacon tower to take this photo. He said it was "terrifying."

Close-up from atop the beacon. We left Amelia in the car because it was raining.

Dad and the boys

To learn more about the concrete arrows, you can visit Sometimes-Interesting.com