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'''Elm Farm Ollie''' (known as "Nellie Jay" and post-flight as "Sky Queen") was the first ] to fly in an ], doing so on ], ], as part of the International Air Exposition in ], ]. On the same trip, which covered 72 miles from ], to St. Louis, she also became the first cow milked in flight. This was done ostensibly to allow scientists to observe midair effects on animals, as well as for publicity purposes. A St. Louis newspaper trumpeted her mission as being "to blaze a trail for the transportation of livestock by air." '''Elm Farm Ollie''' (also known as "Nellie Jay"<ref name=":12">{{Cite news |last=Greminger |first=Sherry |date=April 15, 2011 |title=Bismarck's famous Mellie Jay |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/421342525/ |work=The Daily Journal |pages=1–2}}</ref>) became the first ] to fly in an ] on February 18, 1930, as part of the International Aircraft Exposition in ], ].<ref name=":02">{{Cite news |date=Feb 19, 1930 |title=Cow Milked in Plane |work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |pages=2}}</ref>


== Flight ==
Elm Farm Ollie was reported to have been an unusually productive ], requiring three milkings a day and producing 24 ]s of milk during the flight itself. ] native Elsworth W. Bunce milked her, becoming the first man to milk a ] mid-flight. Elm Farm Ollie's milk was sealed into paper cartons which were parachuted to spectators below. ] reportedly received a glass of the milk.


=== Background ===
Although Elm Farm Ollie was born and raised in Bismarck, Missouri, it is largely in the dairy state of ] where her fame has lived on.
The newly-built ] served as the location for the second ].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce of America, Inc. |url=http://www.aviation-history.com/acyb/1931/ACYB1931.pdf |title=The Aircraft Year Book For 1931 |date=1931 |publisher=D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc. |volume=13 |location=New York |pages=455}}</ref> Organized by the ], the expo aimed to reinvigorate the floundering aviation industry. The onset of the ] greatly diminished the market for planes, while supply of aircraft remained high, as did the public's concerns about the ].<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=TIME |date=1930-03-03 |title=AERONAUTICS: St. Louis Show (cont'd) |url=https://time.com/archive/6744355/aeronautics-st-louis-show-contd/ |access-date=2024-09-12 |magazine=TIME |language=en}}</ref> Simultaneously, the industry grappled with internal struggles related to U.S. government ] which they felt threatened their financial stability.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-12-13 |title=The Air Mail Crisis |url=https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/air-mail-crisis |access-date=2024-09-12 |website=airandspace.si.edu |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Air Mail Fiasco |url=https://www.airandspaceforces.com/article/0308airmail/ |access-date=2024-09-12 |website=Air & Space Forces Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> Famous aviators including ] and ] took part in the expo to help draw crowds.<ref>{{Cite news |date=Feb 17, 1930 |title=Famous Flyers' Luncheon |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/204504501 |work=The St. Louis Star and Times |pages=2}}</ref> ], renowned pilot of the ], was announced as an attendee.<ref>{{Cite news |date=Feb 19, 1930 |title=Sales of Accessories and Planes at Air Show Total $254,000 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/572246421 |work=St. Louis Globe-Democrat |pages=1}}</ref> Event organizers promised public displays of planes and other aviation exhibits valued at over $2,500,000, an aviation-themed musical, and aerial demonstrations, including several world-record and world-first flights.<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 18, 1930 |title=The Biggest Thrill in Town! |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/139009160/?match=1 |work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |pages=17}}</ref>


== References == === Record Flight ===
Up until the expo, no cow is known to have flown. In keeping with the motivations for the show, it was hoped that getting a cow airborne would generate buzz about planes, show the stability and safety of aircraft, and demonstrate the possibility of aviation as an effective means to transport livestock. Advertisements for the stunt also promised "scientific data will be collected on her behavior."<ref>{{Cite news |date=Feb 18, 1930 |title=Cow To Be Milked Up In Place at St. Louis |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/751489883/ |work=Kirksville Daily Express and Kirksville Daily News |pages=4}}</ref><ref name=":02" /> Elm Farm Ollie, a ], was flown in a ] piloted by Claude Sterling of ] from her home at Sunnymeade Farms in ] to St. Louis. She was reportedly chosen because of her high daily milk yield, requiring up to three daily milkings.<ref name=":12" /> She was milked by Elsworth Bunce, in the process also becoming the first cow milked in-flight. The yield was then put into containers attached to parachutes and tossed out of the aircraft as it flew over the onlookers in the city below. Some accounts state the milking occurred on the flight from Bismarck,<ref>{{Cite news |date=Feb 19, 1930 |title=Cow Travels by Air |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/355061802/ |work=Chicago Tribune |pages=15}}</ref> while others indicate it took place during a second flight that originated in St. Louis.<ref name=":02" /> As Lindburgh was speculated to attend the exposition, some milk was reserved for him, though the speculation proved to be false and he never actually made it to St. Louis.<ref name=":02" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=Feb 27, 1930 |title=Lindbergh Did Not Come |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/203919428/ |work=The St. Louis Star and Times |pages=14}}</ref>


=== Legacy ===
*Forsythe, Roger (1992). "". Flat River, Missouri Daily Journal.
The story of Elm Farm Ollie turned up several times in trivia books and newspaper articles over the decades, including a feature in the ] comic strip.<ref>{{Cite news |date=Jul 30, 1995 |title=Ripley's Believe It or Not |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/914827072/ |work=The Reporter Dispatch |location=White Plains, New York |pages=151}}</ref> She has been enshrined in ], the Dairy State, where Barry Levenson, a former state Assistant Attorney General and founder of the ], made February 18 "Elm Farm Ollie Day" in connection to a festival in ], the museum's former location.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About the Museum |url=https://mustardmuseum.org/about/ |access-date=2024-09-12 |website=National Mustard Museum |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":12" /> Levenson's contributions to the Elm Farm Ollie corpus include a cantata titled "Madamme Butterfat."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tschudy |first=Kim |date=Feb 18, 1993 |title=Ice cream with mustard just part of bovine fun |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/521282414/ |work=The Capital Times |location=Madison, Wisconsin |pages=19}}</ref>
*McCann, Dennis (1998). "". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

== See also ==

* ]
* ]
* ]
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== References ==
<references />


==External links== ==External links==
*
*
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*], 1930,] article about airshow; no mention of cow
*], 1930,] article about airshow; no mention of cow
* description of shipment of cattle to Antarctica in which Bunce was also involved; includes picture of Bunce


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Latest revision as of 22:32, 5 November 2024

Painting of Elm Farm Ollie by E.D. Thalinger in 1930

Elm Farm Ollie (also known as "Nellie Jay") became the first cow to fly in an airplane on February 18, 1930, as part of the International Aircraft Exposition in St. Louis, Missouri, United States.

Flight

Background

The newly-built St. Louis Arena served as the location for the second International Aircraft Exposition. Organized by the Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce, the expo aimed to reinvigorate the floundering aviation industry. The onset of the Great Depression in the United States greatly diminished the market for planes, while supply of aircraft remained high, as did the public's concerns about the flight safety. Simultaneously, the industry grappled with internal struggles related to U.S. government air mail contracts which they felt threatened their financial stability. Famous aviators including Edward Stinson and Elinor Smith took part in the expo to help draw crowds. Charles Lindbergh, renowned pilot of the Spirit of St. Louis, was announced as an attendee. Event organizers promised public displays of planes and other aviation exhibits valued at over $2,500,000, an aviation-themed musical, and aerial demonstrations, including several world-record and world-first flights.

Record Flight

Up until the expo, no cow is known to have flown. In keeping with the motivations for the show, it was hoped that getting a cow airborne would generate buzz about planes, show the stability and safety of aircraft, and demonstrate the possibility of aviation as an effective means to transport livestock. Advertisements for the stunt also promised "scientific data will be collected on her behavior." Elm Farm Ollie, a Guernsey cow, was flown in a Ford Trimotor piloted by Claude Sterling of Parks Air College from her home at Sunnymeade Farms in Bismarck, Missouri to St. Louis. She was reportedly chosen because of her high daily milk yield, requiring up to three daily milkings. She was milked by Elsworth Bunce, in the process also becoming the first cow milked in-flight. The yield was then put into containers attached to parachutes and tossed out of the aircraft as it flew over the onlookers in the city below. Some accounts state the milking occurred on the flight from Bismarck, while others indicate it took place during a second flight that originated in St. Louis. As Lindburgh was speculated to attend the exposition, some milk was reserved for him, though the speculation proved to be false and he never actually made it to St. Louis.

Legacy

The story of Elm Farm Ollie turned up several times in trivia books and newspaper articles over the decades, including a feature in the Ripley's Believe It or Not! comic strip. She has been enshrined in Wisconsin, the Dairy State, where Barry Levenson, a former state Assistant Attorney General and founder of the National Mustard Museum, made February 18 "Elm Farm Ollie Day" in connection to a festival in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, the museum's former location. Levenson's contributions to the Elm Farm Ollie corpus include a cantata titled "Madamme Butterfat."

See also

References

  1. ^ Greminger, Sherry (April 15, 2011). "Bismarck's famous Mellie Jay". The Daily Journal. pp. 1–2.
  2. ^ "Cow Milked in Plane". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Feb 19, 1930. p. 2.
  3. Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce of America, Inc. (1931). The Aircraft Year Book For 1931 (PDF). Vol. 13. New York: D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc. p. 455.
  4. TIME (1930-03-03). "AERONAUTICS: St. Louis Show (cont'd)". TIME. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  5. "The Air Mail Crisis". airandspace.si.edu. 2021-12-13. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  6. "The Air Mail Fiasco". Air & Space Forces Magazine. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  7. "Famous Flyers' Luncheon". The St. Louis Star and Times. Feb 17, 1930. p. 2.
  8. "Sales of Accessories and Planes at Air Show Total $254,000". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. Feb 19, 1930. p. 1.
  9. "The Biggest Thrill in Town!". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. February 18, 1930. p. 17.
  10. "Cow To Be Milked Up In Place at St. Louis". Kirksville Daily Express and Kirksville Daily News. Feb 18, 1930. p. 4.
  11. "Cow Travels by Air". Chicago Tribune. Feb 19, 1930. p. 15.
  12. "Lindbergh Did Not Come". The St. Louis Star and Times. Feb 27, 1930. p. 14.
  13. "Ripley's Believe It or Not". The Reporter Dispatch. White Plains, New York. Jul 30, 1995. p. 151.
  14. "About the Museum". National Mustard Museum. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  15. Tschudy, Kim (Feb 18, 1993). "Ice cream with mustard just part of bovine fun". The Capital Times. Madison, Wisconsin. p. 19.

External links

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