Upon moving back to Wanamingo last March, one of the bits of news I heard was about the almost 100 year old water tower on Main Street's de-construction. Tear down was tentatively scheduled for November 2022. As you can see, so far the icon is still standing.
I decided to do a little research into the tower on my own, as I had some fond memories of catching the first rung of the ladder with the help of my uncle Dale Carlson. Dale had dared me to climb to the top of the tower to get the red ball and bring it down to play with. The fond part of the memory ended when my father saw me climbing above the tree line that separated the tower lot on Main Street from Johanna Hoseth's house on 1st Avenue. My family was gathered for a family event, and Pappa Elfie was not happy to see his 6 year old daughter 40 feet in the air! After I climbed down and received a lecture on why climbing a water tower is not an activity appropriate for a 6 year old, my Grandpa Clarence Carlson told me the story of The Crash Of 1930.
It seems that a new pilot, Henry Dahlen, had just completed aviation training, and through an inheritance accumulated enough money to purchase a Waco 4 seater airplane, and was eager to show it off. Dahlen and his wife Gladys had been visiting relatives in the Kenyon/Wanamingo area, and decided to give residents of the area an opportunity for a "fly over" Wanamingo for $1.00. Now mind you, $1.00 in those days would purchase 25# of sugar, or 20# of flour. Or you could buy 5 gallons of gas or a brand new work shirt, so it was no small price to pay for a ride on a new airplane!
As Dahlen was addressing a crowd of folks who had come to see the $6,370.00 Waco 110 HP Warner "Scarab" airplane with an air cooled engine, he offered the "fly over" to the crowd assembled. Gary Bakko remembered his uncle John Brislance telling of the events leading up to the crash. My grandfather was there and related the same account to me the day I tried to climb to the top of the tower. Both Carlson and Brislance found they did not have enough cash for the ride, and went home to gather more money so they could get a ride of a lifetime over their home town.
Unfortunately, that fateful ride was the first and last flight over Wanamingo. Three local guys prepared for the flight. The total time preparing and boarding the aircraft for the first Wanamingo flyover took about 10 minutes. With both passengers securely belted in, the three boyhood friends, all 24 years-old, waved to those on the ground as Dahlen began to taxi to the south end of the field. Arriving at a point where the takeoff could safely begin, Dahlen would have turned his craft into the wind, but due to the inherent design of the plane, the pilot was at a disadvantage for seeing what lie directly ahead of his intended flight path. What lay ahead, about a half-mile away, was Wanamingo’s water tower.and hit the 40,000 gallon tank of the water tower. The plane and it's pilot and passengers plummeted down to Main Street, and there were no survivors on board. There is still a dent in the tower above the n-a-m part of Wanamingo, preserving the memory of three 24 year old boy hood friends who took "the ride of a lifetime".
There are still plans to tear down the old water tower, although I haven't been able to find a set date for the event. The new water towers are in place, and although some residents have expressed an interest in keeping it standing, the cost to do so would be over $100,000.00. Due to deterioration and the costs to maintain it in a safe condition, it may be impossible to restore it, but I bet it would make a nice park with a marker indicating it as a historical part of Wanamingo's past......
