Marker Inscription
From Old Fort Brown Cavalry Drill Field, near this spot, was made the first flight of a U.S. Army plane to be fired upon in armed hostilities, April 20, 1915. Two Signal Corps officers, Lts. Byron Q. Jones and Thos. Milling, flew a Martin T.O. Curtiss 75 on the border to spot movements of Mexican revolutionist Pancho Villa. They reached 2,600 feet; were up 20 minutes. Though they did not cross the Rio Grande, the plane was hit by machine gun and small arms fire. Their patrols lasted 6 weeks. Planes were used more effectively in fighting against Villa in 1916.
About this site
Launching Site of First U.S. Army Warplane is a historical marker in Brownsville, Cameron County, dedicated in 1966. It is one of 116 historical markers documented in Cameron County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 194 historic sites cataloged across the county.
The site sits at 25.8989, -97.4926 near Brownsville. The nearest cataloged historic site is Fort Brown Reservation (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Post Hospital, Post Hospital Annex, and Fort Brown, Buildings 85 and 86.
This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5061003048. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
