 |
Hum of the Motor Replaces the
Sound of the Reaper |
This exhibit describes the formation of American air power, beginning
during the Civil War and concluding with the selection of Rantoul
in May 1917 for the construction of Chanute Field. The contract
to build Chanute Field was awarded to the English Brothers Company
of Champaign, Illinois. The contract stated that the field had to
be completed in 60 days. One square mile of land had to be leveled,
farm houses removed, and trees and stumps dynamited. By June 1917
over 2,000 men were working seven days a week to build Chanute.
The field was completed in August of 1917 for $1 million. |
