Public History Commons^™

Clyde Cessna's 40, Ethan Levin

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Just outside of the rural town of Rago, Kansas is a 40-acre farm that belonged to Clyde Cessna: aviator, inventor, and founder of Cessna Aircraft Co. Cessna had an impressive aviation career that placed him as the Henry Ford of aviation, spanning decades into the early 20th century. He was an innovator in the new field of aeronautics. Today his legacy is seen in the air with the name Cessna printed on the sides of countless airplanes. The untold part of the story is that without his 40-acre farm for support, Cessna would have been grounded. Clyde Cessna put his …