- Russel Merrill
Russel ("Russ") Hyde Merrill (
April 8 ,1894 –September 16 ,1929 ) was anAlaska n aviation pioneer. Born in Des Moines,Iowa , he became aU.S. Navy pilot duringWorld War I , becoming Naval Aviator No. 469. After the war, he received achemistry degree fromCornell University and pursued a career as acivil engineer .On
April 5 ,1925 , he responded to an advertisement offering aflying boat for sale inPortland, Oregon , where he lived at the time. This started his career as abush pilot , and onMay 26 ,1925 he arrived at Ketchikan,Alaska .Merrill was the first to fly to many cities in Alaska; the first airport in Anchorage was named
Merrill Field in his honor. OnSeptember 16 ,1929 , Merrill departed on a flight from Anchorage to the Nyac mine near Bethel, and was never seen again.Further reading
*cite book | last=MacLean | first=Robert Merrill | coauthors=Sean Rossiter | title=Flying Cold: The adventures of Russel Merrill, pioneer Alaskan aviator | year=1994 | publisher=Epicenter Press | id=ISBN 0-945397-33-X
External links
* [http://www.muni.org/merrill1/about.cfm Brief Alaska History of Russel Merrill]
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