Commission Looks to Raise Funds for Lindbergh Marker in Pierre

PIERRE - History buffs in Pierre are raising money to buy a marker to commemorate the spot where famed aviator Charles Lindbergh landed the Spirit of St. Louis in 1927.

The Pierre/Fort Pierre Historic Preservation Commission has reached one-third of its $3,000 goal.

Gordon Koch, the commission's chairman, says the South Dakota Pilots Association donated $1,000. The plan is to erect a sign to mark the Lindbergh landing site, which is north of Pierre on a flat area near Highway 1804.

Lindbergh visited Pierre on Sept. 1, 1927, as part of a tour of state capitals. The visit came about four months after his famous solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean.

Koch says he hopes to have the marker in place by early summer.

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