Arcadia, Michigan in northern Manistee County sits on gentle hills, against the backdrop of Lake Michigan. Arcadia is a sleepy little village where summer folks come to “slow down” and regular residents enjoy the relaxed pace of small town life. It was here on a small farm that Harriet Quimby was born May 1, 1875 to Ursula and William Quimby.
The family eventually moved to San Francisco where Harriet became a journalist. Her work as a journalist took her to New York and work as a theater critic for Leslie’s Illustrated Weekly. Eventually Harriet became interested in aviation. Under the guidance of John Moisant, she learned how to pilot a plane and became the first licensed female pilot on August 1, 1911.
On April 16, 1912 Harriet Quimby became the first woman to fly solo across the English Channel. She took off from Dover, England and landed in Calais, France 59 minutes later. However, with the sinking of the Titanic the previous day, her accomplished did not receive much attention from the media.
While participating in the Third Annual Boston Aviation Meet at Squantom, Massachusetts on July 1, 1912, Harriet’s plane pitched for some unexplained reason and she and her passenger were ejected from the plane. They both died. Harriet was only 37 years old.
Today there is an historical marker in near the remains of the farmhouse in Arcadia, Michigan where Harriet Quimby was born. The sleepy little village in northern Manistee County still remembers their famous resident 100 years later.
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