Program

NYS Historic

Subject

Event, Site

Location

10675 Grand Jean Rd, Henderson, NY 13650, USA

Lat/Long

43.825869, -76.224684

Grant Recipient

Henderson Historical Society

On July 2, 1859, early American balloonist John Wise (1808-1879) crashed the balloon “Atlantic” in the town of Henderson in Jefferson County, New York, after traveling around 1,000 miles in 19 hours from St. Louis, Missouri. The flight would continue to hold the world distance record for balloon travel until the record was broken in 1900 (Buffalo Times, October 12, 1900; San Francisco Chronicle, October 13, 1900; Lancaster Intelligencer, October 23, 1907).

Wise intended to travel from St. Louis to the Atlantic Ocean in New York City. He was joined on his trip by fellow balloonists O. A. Gager and John LaMountain, along with William Hyde, a reporter for the St. Louis Republican. The balloon “Atlantic” measured fifty feet in diameter and sixty feet in height. A wicker car was suspended beneath the balloon with a boat suspended 15 feet below the wicker car. The balloon was inflated with hydrogen gas provided by the St. Louis Gaslight Company. It was loaded with provisions, water, ice, food, and beverages. To aid navigation, ballast weights were included that could be dropped if the balloon went too low.

Taking off from St. Louis on July 1, 1859 at 7:20pm, they traveled up the Mississippi River and then across Illinois to Lake Michigan. They followed the Wabash River across Indiana and then reached the western end of Lake Erie. Traveling across the lake, the balloon eventually reached the Niagara River and then traveled up to Niagara Falls. After reaching Lake Ontario, they hit a rough storm and narrowly avoided crashing into the water. After this, they drifted further north to Henderson in Jefferson County. They crashed into the treetops near the mouth of Stoney Creek in Henderson at around 2:30pm. Despite their rough landing, no one was injured. A New York State historical marker was placed nearby the Henderson landing location in commemoration of Wise’s record-setting 1859 flight in his balloon “Atlantic.”