Here are the two articles that were published September 20, 1927.
This blog is maintained by John Parsons as a place to help organize notes & research for an upcoming e-publication about the 1927 Saga of Leo The Lion.
Monday, December 4, 2023
AZREP coverage
Friday, April 7, 2023
Woody Cline Interview - April 2023
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| Woody Cline (left) and John Parsons discuss finding the crash site. |
Woody Cline pinpointed the precise location of the 1927 aircraft crash site. It's a rather roundabout story how Woody became involved in looking for the crash site. Woody's Life History with Gila County, Pleasant Valley, Young and other localities goes back to his very birth in Globe.
When Woody was just a child he often heard Old Timers mention things about the 1927 crash and subsequent Lion Rescue. After all, it was (and remains) one of Gila County's prominent legends.
Everything worked out and the interview was conducted the afternoon of April 5, 2023, at the USFS Roosevelt Work Center in Tonto Basin, Arizona. USFS Staffer Laura Lee Marshall graciously provided scenic patio space to set up the interview apparatus.
Woody's interview lasted more than 43 minutes and it covers a lot of ground. Woody provides excellent context for how he happened to become involved in finding the precise crash site.
Woody's account is THE most credible and specific information in existence about the precise crash site. Although it is unanimously agreed that the crash took place in what became known as Leo Canyon, the exact specific site was unknown until Woody became involved.
Woody used his ample Life Experiences to match a 1927 photo of the crash site with a distant ridge. Woody then found pieces of debris from the crashed aircraft as well as hacksaw blades presumably used to cut the lion's cage out of the aircraft frame
Naturally, it was very exciting to chat with Woody about his involvement. Woody is Chairman of the Gila County Board of Supervisors and also the Tonto NRCD so he's comfortable with a microphone. Woody's also a "natural born" storyteller and a downright joy to listen to!
We were thoroughly captivated and entertained by Woody's narrative and the 43+ minutes flew by as if in a blink of an eye.
MANY THANKS to Woody Cline for his gentlemanly hospitality and engaging personality. We appreciate you sharing your story about this vital and important piece of history regarding the Leo The Flying Lion Story.
The MP3 digital file was uploaded to Sound Cloud on April 7, 2023. Here is the link:
https://soundcloud.com/gila-stories/woody-cline-april-5-2023
Beware that Sound Cloud will probably attempt to "auto play" other audio files after the conclusion of this one. YMMV.
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| Woody Cline at the Tonto NRCD Spring Field Day 2023. |
Thursday, September 15, 2022
September 2022 Status Update
Our most recent post here was way back in late February 2020, over 2.5 years ago. Obviously, we haven't done anything with this project during that time. We would like to resume studying the saga. The onset of the pandemic had a lot to do with why we dropped the ball on the Leo Story. But there were other reasons, too. With the passage of such a long time, it's almost like starting from scratch. However, at least this time around, we have a MUCH better idea of what needs to be clarified. Here is a starting list of our ideas for resuming the Leo Story:
1) Conduct oral interview with cowboy who visited the crash site many times. We won't give his name here because we respect his privacy. We came very close to meeting with him in early 2020 but the pandemic snuffed those plans.
2) Document all of "The Arizona Republic" coverage of the incident in September 1927.
3) Clarify that Marty Jensen went to Apache Lodge FIRST before going to Payson SECOND.
4) Find someone who will fly us over the crash site.
5) Clarify and verify that Jensen did NOT land in Phoenix to refuel.
6) Try to understand and explain why Jensen did not fly the El Paso route.
7) Better organize and describe photos from Payson relating to the incident
8) Try to find an aeronautical engineer to work with regarding potential extra fuel capacity
9) Attempt to get permission to reprint Frank Gillette's story
10) Attempt to reconnect with the man who recovered the crash debris from the site.
That's a pretty ambitious agenda. I'll be lucky to accomplish all of that during the upcoming Arizona Season. We also would like to pass off our information to someone who can tackle actually writing the story. At this point, we think the story might be better presented as "enhanced historical fiction" based on real facts. There are simply too many discrepancies to be able to tell the story in a cohesive manner.
In case you missed our own attempt to retell the story in short form see:
https://leotheflyinglion.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-short-story.html
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
A shortcut?
One of the many mysteries of the Flyin' Lion Saga is the route of Martin Jensen's flight path from San Diego to the crash site. Obviously, no one will ever be able to prove Jensen's flight path beyond reasonable doubt. Consequently, any commentary on the route will always fall into the realm of speculation. And, therefore, in keeping with the Spirit of Speculation we have coined the phrase "Circumstantial Situational Speculation".
Many accounts of Jensen's flight path either state or speculate that he flew to Phoenix and thence up The Salt River to Roosevelt Lake and then turned left to follow Tonto Creek until crashing in Hells Gate. That is generally the most commonly accepted and prevailing perspective regarding Jensen's flight path.
We believe a new perspective can be gleaned from an important eye witness account paired with ground truthing to formulate a reasonable "circumstantial situational speculation" that produces an entirely new flight path from San Diego to the crash site in Hells Gate.
Reporter Ralph A. Fisher Sr. interviewed prominent Payson resident William (Bill) Boardman. Fisher wrote in a 1968 summary of that interview:
"In mid-afternoon the late William (Bill) Boardman, former merchant and postmaster of Payson, Arizona, was traveling south over the rugged Ox Bow will from Payson to Rye when he heard a roaring motor coming from the direction of the Matatzal Mountains lying to the west. Boardman killed the motor in the aged truck he was driving and coasted to a stop in a cloud of dust to watch the small plane that appeared to be lost and in trouble fighting to gain altitude over Tonto Basin.
"It was a small brightly colored monoplane, with some large lettering exposed along the glittering fuselage with what appeared to be a metal cage constructed in the forward portion of the fuselage directly behind where the pilot was seated. The plane was flying very low as it came out of the mountains and followed the old Bush Highway for a distance. It seemed that the pilot was looking for a route that would permit him to get over and above the majestic Mogollon Rim lying dead ahead in the east," stated Mr. Boardman as our interview got underway.
"I watched the pilot guide the heavy laden plane eastward again, then head low over the hills and tree tops towards Kohl's Ranch on the upper Tonto Creek, but still beneath the Rim. Then I lost sight of the small plane and the perfect hum of the single engine; and continued on my afternoon errand to Rye, some 16 miles south of Payson," continued Bill Boardman.
"By the way, I did note the time as being 2:00 PM on that sunny and somewhat warm afternoon of September 16,1927,".... "you can well understand my surprise when a few days later I was advised that a pilot had walked into the Booth cabin along the lower Tonto Creek at Gisela, close to Rye, following a crash-landing along Tonto Creek some four days earlier according to my informant."
To read the full interview see: https://en.calameo.com/read/006162086240e12861b2e
On February 24, 2020, we realized we could use our handheld GPS device to attempt to pin down where Boardman might have been on the Oxbow Hill Road. The Oxbow Hill Road in 1927 was vastly different than it is in 2020. So, naturally, there would be some "interpolation" involved. As chance would have it, we used a spot that just so happened to be on the old road itself. We recorded a 57 second video showing the area there. You can see it here: https://vimeo.com/394041501
There's no doubt based on Boardman's recollection of what he saw that the aircraft was flying from Boardman's right to Boardman's left. If the plane would have been flying from Roosevelt Lake up The Tonto, it would have been too far out of sight for Boardman to see the details he reported from his encounter.
Using the circumstantial evidence presented in Boardman's interview combined with the situational on-the-ground perspective, we have prepared the maps below.
The above map shows what we believe to be Jensen's flight path as he approach the Matazal Mountains. we believe he flew through the Verde Valley, crossing the Verde River near Squaw Peak and then flew a route between the Matazals and Oxbow Hill.
If Jensen would have flown up The Salt and then The Tonto, the red line shows that flight path. The red "x" marks the approx. location of witness Boardman. The green line shows the flight crossing from Boardman's right to Boardman's left and represents how Boardman would have observed the aircraft. We haven't yet pieced together how Jensen would have arrived in The Verde Valley from San Diego.
However, we do have some perspectives regarding the local thinking about that theoretical flight path.
The two screen clips below are from a History of The Cottonwood, Arizona, Airport. Chances are pretty good that the perspectives reported in this history were known to a wider aviation audience than just a few enthusiasts in The Verde. Jensen has spent time in Yuma, Arizona, and was married in an airplane there. He flew extensively around America as a barnstormer pilot. It's reasonable speculation that he could have viewed that route as a potential shortcut on his way to the East Coast.
We will continue our digging into this line of thought and add more to this blog post.
Many accounts of Jensen's flight path either state or speculate that he flew to Phoenix and thence up The Salt River to Roosevelt Lake and then turned left to follow Tonto Creek until crashing in Hells Gate. That is generally the most commonly accepted and prevailing perspective regarding Jensen's flight path.
We believe a new perspective can be gleaned from an important eye witness account paired with ground truthing to formulate a reasonable "circumstantial situational speculation" that produces an entirely new flight path from San Diego to the crash site in Hells Gate.
Reporter Ralph A. Fisher Sr. interviewed prominent Payson resident William (Bill) Boardman. Fisher wrote in a 1968 summary of that interview:
"In mid-afternoon the late William (Bill) Boardman, former merchant and postmaster of Payson, Arizona, was traveling south over the rugged Ox Bow will from Payson to Rye when he heard a roaring motor coming from the direction of the Matatzal Mountains lying to the west. Boardman killed the motor in the aged truck he was driving and coasted to a stop in a cloud of dust to watch the small plane that appeared to be lost and in trouble fighting to gain altitude over Tonto Basin.
"It was a small brightly colored monoplane, with some large lettering exposed along the glittering fuselage with what appeared to be a metal cage constructed in the forward portion of the fuselage directly behind where the pilot was seated. The plane was flying very low as it came out of the mountains and followed the old Bush Highway for a distance. It seemed that the pilot was looking for a route that would permit him to get over and above the majestic Mogollon Rim lying dead ahead in the east," stated Mr. Boardman as our interview got underway.
"I watched the pilot guide the heavy laden plane eastward again, then head low over the hills and tree tops towards Kohl's Ranch on the upper Tonto Creek, but still beneath the Rim. Then I lost sight of the small plane and the perfect hum of the single engine; and continued on my afternoon errand to Rye, some 16 miles south of Payson," continued Bill Boardman.
To read the full interview see: https://en.calameo.com/read/006162086240e12861b2e
On February 24, 2020, we realized we could use our handheld GPS device to attempt to pin down where Boardman might have been on the Oxbow Hill Road. The Oxbow Hill Road in 1927 was vastly different than it is in 2020. So, naturally, there would be some "interpolation" involved. As chance would have it, we used a spot that just so happened to be on the old road itself. We recorded a 57 second video showing the area there. You can see it here: https://vimeo.com/394041501
There's no doubt based on Boardman's recollection of what he saw that the aircraft was flying from Boardman's right to Boardman's left. If the plane would have been flying from Roosevelt Lake up The Tonto, it would have been too far out of sight for Boardman to see the details he reported from his encounter.
Using the circumstantial evidence presented in Boardman's interview combined with the situational on-the-ground perspective, we have prepared the maps below.
If Jensen would have flown up The Salt and then The Tonto, the red line shows that flight path. The red "x" marks the approx. location of witness Boardman. The green line shows the flight crossing from Boardman's right to Boardman's left and represents how Boardman would have observed the aircraft. We haven't yet pieced together how Jensen would have arrived in The Verde Valley from San Diego.
However, we do have some perspectives regarding the local thinking about that theoretical flight path.
The two screen clips below are from a History of The Cottonwood, Arizona, Airport. Chances are pretty good that the perspectives reported in this history were known to a wider aviation audience than just a few enthusiasts in The Verde. Jensen has spent time in Yuma, Arizona, and was married in an airplane there. He flew extensively around America as a barnstormer pilot. It's reasonable speculation that he could have viewed that route as a potential shortcut on his way to the East Coast.
Saturday, February 15, 2020
Lion Myths...or Facts?
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| Graphic Source: Generic eBay search. |
Almost as soon as anything happens, human beings begin to tell their own version of what happened. Over time, different versions of the same event can become entrenched as "the way it was." Some versions become so prevalent that they take on a mythological context of their own and are repeated as "fact" until such time people simply nod, agree and move on.
One of our goals with the Leo The Flying Lion Project is to eventually present as many of the myths as possible for each aspect of the saga. Some of those myths might even be facts! We want our readers to be able to make up their own minds about what might be myth and what might be fact. With a 93-year-old story such as this one, it's quite likely all of the so-called "actual facts" may never be known. Therefore readers are free to adopt and retell their own version(s) of the legend.
There are two basic versions of the origin of the lion aboard the plane. One purports the lion was "borrowed" from a circus. The other claims the lion was MGM's "Jackie." Let's take a look at the first myth first.
We found the following snippet amid Martin Jensen's papers at the University of Wyoming in Laramie:
"These are the main things that Pete Smith remembers about the Leo the Lion story. Pete Smith was Director of Publicity for MGM, and Howard Strickling was his assistant. Leo was borrowed from Al G. Barnes circus, which had its winter quarters in Culver City. Leo was displayed for the press for about a week before the flight, at the MGM studio. The flight was to be the first non-stop, Los Angeles to New York. For many years afterward, the Barnes people publicized "Leo as Leo the MGM Flying lion.' "
Furthermore, Scott Gifford said in a February 11, 2020, email to the Editor:
"BTW: Jackie may have been MGM’s first lion, but Jackie wasn’t the lion in the flight. That lion was borrowed from a circus which wintered in Culver City. I think that’s the big reason why MGM was so concerned about rescuing the lion!"
"BTW: Jackie may have been MGM’s first lion, but Jackie wasn’t the lion in the flight. That lion was borrowed from a circus which wintered in Culver City. I think that’s the big reason why MGM was so concerned about rescuing the lion!"
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| Source: http://bit.ly/3bEHrLH |
The Al G. Barnes Circus wasn't in Culver City, California, in September 1927. Nope. That particular circus spent the month of September in Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana. On the day Martin Jensen took off from San Diego, the Al G. Barnes circus was in Little Rock, Arkansas. The 1920's were The Golden Age of The Traveling Circus. After each season, each circus would print a lavishly illustrated "Route Book."
Think of the Route Books as you might a high school year book. The books were sold to admiring fans and also used to promote the upcoming season. As you can see from the cover of the 1927 Route Book, a male African lion is a key icon of the circus. The lion acts of any given circus were considered by many to be the highlight of the show. Judging from the poster show at the top of this article, it appears at the Al G. Barnes needed every trained lion they could keep their hands on.
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| Page 21 of 1927 Route Book: http://digital.library.illinoisstate.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15990coll5/id/10356 |
Although it's obvious the lion could not have come from the traveling circus itself, the lion COULD have come from a zoo that Barnes once operated in Culver City. However, there is some trouble with that, too. The land which housed Barnes Zoo was annexed to Culver City in 1925 and Los Angeles in 1926. Upset with tighter regulation and opposition by adjacent homeowners, Barnes moved his winter quarters to unincorporated land in the San Gabriel Valley. In Februrary 1927 he bought a tract of land a quarter of a mile long facing Valley Blvd. between El Monte and Baldwin Park for $1,000,000. Source of above information:
https://www.westland.net/venicehistory/articles/BarnesCircusZoo.htm
https://www.westland.net/venicehistory/articles/BarnesCircusZoo.htm
Perhaps the lion in Jensen's plane came from the Zoo but at this point we can't find any definitive proof. We also can't find a nano-scrap of evidence that any Al G. Barnes performing circus lion was billed as "Leo The MGM Flying Lion." Perhaps one of our astute reader/researchers can dig up more evidence supporting either one or both of those claims.
Meanwhile, a credible source associated with MGM states it was indeed "Jackie" aboard the plane. Jackie was the movie company's second lion after "Slats."
From: MGM LOGO HISTORY AND THE 2008 RESTORATION PROCESS Compiled By Ed Vigdor:
“Jackie” was born circa 1915 and was captured as a cub in the Nubian dessert. He spent much of his life in Hollywood as a performer in jungle pictures, eventually chosen to appear on our logo. He, like “Slats”, would tour the world on behalf of the studio. “Jackie” was nick named “Leo The Lucky” after surviving two train wrecks, an earthquake, a boat sinking, an explosion at the studio and a plane crash."
Source: https://garycoates.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/logo-history-restoration-article.pdf
From: MGM LOGO HISTORY AND THE 2008 RESTORATION PROCESS Compiled By Ed Vigdor:
“Jackie” was born circa 1915 and was captured as a cub in the Nubian dessert. He spent much of his life in Hollywood as a performer in jungle pictures, eventually chosen to appear on our logo. He, like “Slats”, would tour the world on behalf of the studio. “Jackie” was nick named “Leo The Lucky” after surviving two train wrecks, an earthquake, a boat sinking, an explosion at the studio and a plane crash."
Source: https://garycoates.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/logo-history-restoration-article.pdf
Ed Vigdor's article is the best summary of the MGM Lions we have yet found. You will enjoy see the 15 second video of the restoration of Leo The Lion's roaring here: https://youtu.be/OVCxJ1aT24A
So, there you have it. The choice is yours. We will continue studying the lion's ownership and origin.
So, there you have it. The choice is yours. We will continue studying the lion's ownership and origin.
Source of photo below: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_the_Lion_(MGM)
Thursday, February 13, 2020
Extra fuel
Arguably one of the most important debates about The Jensen Flight is "extra fuel". Numerous accounts, including that of expert Scott Gifford say Jensen was carrying 450 gallons of aviation gas.
Bear in mind 450 gallons of "av gas" would weigh 2,700 pounds, PLUS the weight of the tank(s) to carry it. And bear in mind the gross rated weight of the aircraft was 3,300 pounds. And bear in mind that the weight of the lion, the cage, the milk tank, the water tank, the pilot, his sandwiches and the 84 gallons of "stock fuel" added up to 1,500 pounds. And that all adds up to at least 3,300 pounds.
So, how did Jensen's Ryan B-1 carry extra fuel? Scott Gifford is "all over that" by telling us the airframe was fitted for an extra wing tank and two belly tanks. But could those extra three tanks carry 450 gallons? That's highly unlikely because of the sheer volume 450 gallons would occupy.
There's NO doubt The Jensen Plane was carrying extra fuel. Is there a doubt about whether it was 450 gallons? You betcha!
Take a look at a "stock" Ryan B-1 as displayed at the Yanks Air museum in Chino, California. Look at that sleek underbody of a classic 1920's airframe design! It's Beautiful. Now see comment below next photo.
Just check out Martin Jensen's aircraft. You can clearly see the bottom of the Center of Gravity of the airframe has been modified...presumably to fit in two belly tanks. There's no doubt the aircraft was at its rated maximum gross weight BEFORE adding the extra fuel. So, how did that extra fuel affect the final outcome of the famous flight? Oh, so many questions!
Bear in mind 450 gallons of "av gas" would weigh 2,700 pounds, PLUS the weight of the tank(s) to carry it. And bear in mind the gross rated weight of the aircraft was 3,300 pounds. And bear in mind that the weight of the lion, the cage, the milk tank, the water tank, the pilot, his sandwiches and the 84 gallons of "stock fuel" added up to 1,500 pounds. And that all adds up to at least 3,300 pounds.
So, how did Jensen's Ryan B-1 carry extra fuel? Scott Gifford is "all over that" by telling us the airframe was fitted for an extra wing tank and two belly tanks. But could those extra three tanks carry 450 gallons? That's highly unlikely because of the sheer volume 450 gallons would occupy.
There's NO doubt The Jensen Plane was carrying extra fuel. Is there a doubt about whether it was 450 gallons? You betcha!
Monday, February 10, 2020
Remaining Research
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| Martin Jensen just before takeoff. |
1) Martin Jensen's papers
Pilot Jensen donated his personal collection of paper to the Wyoming Heritage Center in Laramie, Wyoming. We have been in contact with the Center and made arrangement for the 28 pages relating to Leo The Lion to be scanned and sent to us. We are eagerly awaiting receipt of that material as we have no idea what those pages may contain.
(Update 02/13/20)--We received 44 pages instead of 28. Unfortunately, a personal narrative by the pilot is not part of the collection. We did transcribe and post an interview with Bill Boardman and you can read the 2,900 word document here:
https://issuu.com/arizonahistorystories/docs/william__bill__boardman_interview
2) Fuel Capacity
Some accounts have speculated the Ryan B-1 aircraft was carrying as much as 450 gallons of extra fuel. Frankly, that's impossible in such an aircraft. Even 300 gallons would weigh 2,000 pounds (including tank weight) and take up a space of approximately 45 by 38 by 40 inches. The aero dynamics of that simple airframe design simply could not support that weight nor could the engine provide enough power to lift such a load off the ground. We are waiting for information from the Yanks Air Museum in Chino, California regarding insights about fuel capacity.
(Update 02/13/20) We have been in contact with Scott Gifford who salvaged the wreckage remains in 1991. Gifford said the aircraft contained 5 fuel tanks--three in the wing and two in the belly. Gifford also claims the aircraft was carrying 450 gallons of fuel. A Yanks Air Museum Staff member says the "stock" fuel capacity was 84 gallons.)
3) Did Jensen refuel in Phoenix?
This is a big question mark in the Flyin' Lion Story. At this point in our research there's nothing whatsoever to indicate he either did or didn't stop in Phoenix.
(Update 02/13/20) At this point we can infer that Jensen did not land in Phoenix. He took off from an airfield near San Diego shortly after 10 AM on September 16, 1927 and crashed shortly after 2 PM the same day at a site approx 350 air miles from the origin of the flight. There simply would have been no time to land in during the amount of elapsed time between take off and crash.
4) Cruising Range
What would have been the nominal cruising range for a Ryan B-1 Brougham carrying a full load?
(Update 02/13/20) The OEM nominal cruising range for the aircraft was 700 miles.
5) Why Tonto Basin?
Jensen's flight path into Tonto Basin made no sense for that era of flight in the Southwest. Pilots traveling to Albuquerque normally went out of their way to El Paso and then north to avoid the Central Arizona Mountains and The Mogollon Rim beyond. Jensen was an accomplished barnstormer pilot with extensive flight time around America. We may never learn the answer to this question but that doesn't mean we won't stop asking!
6) The Rim Country Museum
The Northern Gila County Historical Society is a huge help!
We visited in person again February 19, 2020 and the NGCHS President Sandy Carson really went the extra mile to help us. We're going to receive excellent photos including: 1920's Payson Main Street scene; the first Grady Harrison Garage where the lion was kept; a 1926 view of both schools AND a photo of Bill Boardman! How good is that? VERY GOOD! Thank, Sandy.
7) Scott Gifford
There seems to be zero doubt that Scott Gifford recovered the wreckage from Leo Canyon. We are determined to make contact with him to learn the progress toward his stated goal to restore the aircraft to flyable condition.
(Update 02/13/20) We have indeed made contact with Scott Gifford. We are looking forward to working with him to learn more about the many aspects of this incident.
8) Newspaper Dot Com
Supposedly Leo The Lion's crash made copious national news. We're planning to buy a subscription to the online newspaper archives and try to find as many reports as possible about such coverage.
Well, that pretty well wraps up what we "think" we have to do. One final possibility would be to buy flying time to fly over Leo Canyon and record some aerial video. But that sounds mighty expensive and we doubt that we will be able to afford such a luxury.
9) Who was the pilot?
We have accumulated quite a bit of background about pilot Martin Jensen, probably too much, but that's the way it goes sometimes. Now the chore is to write it up in a way that's readable and goes get annoyingly long.
Thanks for reading! John Parsons
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