 Since long before statehood, Wyoming has been a major corridor for transcontinental travel. Native Americans cross the land for hunting and trade, and later immigrant trails, the Pony Express, railroads, and the interstate highway system crossed our state. One of the lesser known byways of Wyoming was the Woodrow Wilson Airway, the first transcontinental airmail route. Airmail service began in the U.S. between New York and Washington in 1918, not only to speed mail delivery, but to help train pilots for the First World War. By 1920, the Woodrow Wilson Airway spanned the continent to San Francisco. Major Wyoming stops included Cheyenne, Rawlins, and Rock Springs. Just like the Pony Express before it, the airmail service utilized a relay system with multiple planes and pilots to speed mail delivery across the country. During the first eastbound flight on the Woodrow Wilson Airway, Jack Knight went down in airmail history by flying 839 miles from Cheyenne to Chicago through winter weather and poor visibility to get the mail through. Throughout southern Wyoming, you can find remains of the airway beacons that help mark the airway for night flying. Beacons consisted of a small shed, tower with light, and in many cases, a concrete arrow for daytime flying, and they were erected every 15 to 20 miles along the airway. This particular airway beacon is located on Pilot Hill outside of Laramie and is still visible after nearly 80 years. For the University of Wyoming Extension, I'm Milton Geiger, Exploring the Nature of Wyoming.