19-02-2025
The first flying cow arrived in St. Louis 95 years ago
ST. LOUIS – The City of St. Louis can be known for a lot of things, from gooey butter cake, the Gateway Arch, and the 1904 World Fair, but did you know we're also the first city to have a cow arrive by plane?
On Feb. 18, 1930, a Guernsey cow named Elm Farm Ollie traveled from Bismarck, Missouri, to St. Louis—a total of 72 miles—on a Ford Tri-Motor, Umpqua Dairy said. This trip marked the first time a cow took flight in addition to the first cow that was milked mid-flight, according to Square Cow.
It wasn't all for attention, partially. Beyond the publicity stunt, the 1,000-pound Ollie was also helping farmers and researchers understand an effect, if any, high altitude had on cow milk and production.
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She was allegedly chosen for the mission due to how much milk Elm Farm Ollie had. According to the San Diego Air & Space Museum, she produced 24 quarts of milk in-flight, which was parachuted to the ground for spectators. One of those spectators was allegedly Charles Lindbergh, who flew the 'Spirit of St. Louis' airplane.
Following the flight, she was nicknamed the 'Sky Queen.'
Ollie only lived to be 10 years old, but she is remembered every Feb. 18 at the National Mustard Museum in Wisconsin, which is the home of the man who milked Elm Farm Ollie on the flight—Elsworth W. Bunce.
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