Beaumont - where you can drive your plane right up to the hotel!
1885 wooden water tower, the last remaining of its kind in the USA
rails to flowers
1879 Beaumont HotelLocal lore has it in 1948 a Wichita businessman wanted to fly into Beaumont to check on his cattle. He asked the hotel if they would block the road for his landing. Since having a plane land in the small Kansas town was exciting, the residents agreed. Well, the pilot told his friends and soon many other aviators were talking about the little Kansas town where you could land and taxi your plane on the main street. It quickly became a tradition with aviators and a practice for residents to check for airplanes on the streets when driving.
In 1953, the Beaumont Hotel owner, J.C. Squire, acquired 70 acres east of the hotel and added a grass landing strip. Now planes could safely land and depart on Flint Hill pasture rather than one of Beaumont's streets.
Today aviators travel to Beaumont in their antique biplanes, helicopters, ultra lights, power parachutes, and even hot air balloons! On any given day, you can watch planes taxi right up to the hotel. ~ Beaumont Historic Marker
September 2007 Google street view of planes parked at BeaumontWhen out looking for the local wind farm, we stumbled upon Beaumont, Kansas, a tiny town with a big story! I believe there were more Historic Markers than buildings, the residents of Beaumont are very proud of their town.
