On Monday evening, July 15, 1911, at about 9:45 pm, the residents of Ridgeway were surprised to hear voices coming from the sky. They looked up to see a hot-air balloon sailing overhead that was close enough that people on the ground could talk plainly with the travelers in the balloon. The ballooners were taking part in a national elimination race starting in Kansas City sponsored by the National Aero Club and they asked people on the ground to telegraph the Kansas City Post with the location and time the balloon passed over Ridgeway. A second balloon passed a little later and balloons were also seen in Mt. Moriah and Brooklyn. (Source: Ridgeway Journal, July 18, 1911.) According to the article, “The passing of the balloon caused a great deal of excitement and comment in our town.”
