COVID has left many of us with a lot of extra time on our hands the past 300+ days. Perhaps it’s been most difficult on the edlerly, but not for 84-year-old Ober Anderson of Ankeny, Iowa. He has found a purpose and a passion to fill these days…he is on a mission to get Elling Oliver Weeks inducted into the Iowa Aviation Hall of Fame. But he’s asking for the public’s help to fill in additional information.
“My grandmother, Martha Weeks Severeid, was a first cousin to Ellings father, Oliver Weeks,” explained Anderson.
According to Anderson, Weeks was born in 1890 and moved to the family farm North of Eagle Grove in 1900. He attended school in Eagle Grove as well as spending some time at the country school near Holmes. In 1909, he hopped a freight train to Chicago to pursue his dream – flying airplanes. Keep in mind that the acceptance and popularity of airplanes had really only begun in 1908. Weeks, according to Anderson, was ready to follow in the footsteps of Orville and Wilbur Wright. At first he spent time as a chauffeur, took night classes studying auto racing and flying, and even did some local racing. At the races is where Weeks reportedly met a wealthy man who heard him say he was interested in flying. The man went on to sponsor Weeks and his pilot friends who went on to call themselves the “Early Birds.” This was a term used for flyers before 1914 since after that, the military became involved with aviation so there were a larger number of pilots.
In May of 1910, Weeks took his first flight, reportedly the very same month that Iowa’s first flight was made in SE Iowa. Anderson quoted Weeks as saying about that first flight, “Unexpectedly, a delegation of Chicago citizens and reporters came out to our airfield at Cicero (near Chicago). The group was interested upon seeing a flying demonstration. No pilots were available and I had never flown before. Against my better judgement, I decided I would give them a very limited demonstration, anyway.”
The Aviation Hall of Fame submission packet also states that Weeks had only planned to take the plane a few feet off the ground and then immediately land it again, just to satisfy them. Unfortunately, he said he “froze on the stick,” and went completely airborne.
“I was forced to zoom up to avoid hitting some telephone wires. I had no idea how to bring the ship down. I soared and fell, then finally pancaked it to the ground. The crowd had the impression that I had been stunting for them. They gave me a big ovation which I did not deserve,” is what Weeks reportedly wrote.
In 1913, Weeks returned to his birthplace, Slater, Iowa, to fly a plane and show his family and friends what he could do. His picture even appeared in the Slater newspaper. After that, it is said that Weeks took a four-year hiatus from flying…until March of 1915 when the Eagle Grove business community announced they were building an airport (then called a “navigation station”). For a fee of $1,700, Weeks agreed to fly people from Eagle Grove to neighboring Boone, Story City, Emmetsburg, and Slater. According to an article at the Ames Public Library, Weeks piloted the first plane to ever land in Ames, but it was not planned. Instead, it was an emergency landing near Diff Ave. and North 13th Street when the plane ran out of gas.
“In March 1914, Week’s father requested that he give up aviation for a year until the American market developed "flying machines on a par with their foreign counterparts." Week’s father, Oliver, had not allowed him to take any siblings on a flight. He did not want to lose more than one of his offspring in an accident. Week’s and his brother then opened an auto repair business in Eagle Grove during that year,” said Anderson.
On September 10, 1915, Weeks was scheduled to fly to Thor with his cousin, Seward Heggen, when after ascending to 200 feet, the steering rod broke and they plunged to the ground. It’s reported that Weeks was able to unbuckle his seatbelt and jump free, but suffered severe bruises. Heggen broke his jaw and was in critical condition.
Over the years that followed, Weeks went on to have many great flights, wonderful and nerve-wracking flights, and accomplish many extraordinary things. Awards and honors he received include:
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First pilot to deliver newspapers by air;
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Developed the Weeks carburetor used in early airplanes and automobiles;
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October of 1912, attained an altitude of 2,000 feet in a twenty minute flight for New York air show.
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Either the first or second, Iowa born and raised, aviator to solo in May of 1910.
Weeks passed away in 1956, and despite all of this information, Anderson is still in search of more. He stated there are still many missing pieces because Weeks moved around so much. He wonders how he avoided the draft for WWI, for example. Was it because of his work in developing aircrafts? Anderson would appreciate any additional information on Weeks anyone may have. You can contact him at ojanderson@aol.com
“ I would like any further information available, but it would be mainly to have a more accurate story for my extended family and copies of the story to be housed in the Eagle Grove Library and historical museum for future generations. I will also make available to the Slater, IA Museum, since EOW was born there and spent his first ten years on the family farm near Sheldahl.
According to Anderson, the Iowa Aviation Hall of Fame organized in 1990 and inducted five members the first year and four in 1991, including Arthur Harman, who is credited with being Iowa’s first successful pilot in May of 1910, the same month as Week’s flight in Chicago. They have continued to induct two or more each year with the total now being 75. Anderson is unsure when this year’s induction results will be known. Submissions were due this week.
Anderson said one of his inspirations for nominating Weeks is the fact that this story is almost unknown here in Iowa.
“If I don't tell the story, it may well be lost. I had a call from Joel Halverson of Eagle Grove. He is some ten years younger than I and a volunteer at the Eagle Grove Historical Society. He, too, had not heard of Elling Weeks! Although he moved out of state at an early age of 19 and his early flights were out of state, he did return to Iowa many times. He and a brother, Leonard, ran an auto repair shop in Eagle Grove. He also had a contract to operate the first Eagle Grove Air Park. Elling and his brother, Leonard, constructed seven airplanes at their farm, all of which were wrecked in his early flights. He was involved in at least twelve accidents during his first 200 flights,” said Anderson. “As a member of the Iowa Aviation Hall of Fame, he would be recognized as the pioneer that he was in the industry. As for me, it would be “frosting on the cake” for my efforts in digging out the information for my story, which started out just for my family.”
Editor’s Note: Information for this story came from portions in the nomination packet compiled by Ober Anderson.
