Photo Credit: LA Times
Three U.S. Army balloons prepare for launch from Ross Field on October 18, 1921.
Opened in 1918, the Arcadia Balloon School was built to train U.S. Army balloon observation troops for World War I. Before any graduates arrived in Europe, the war ended.
In November 1918, the base was renamed Ross Field, honoring Lt. Cleo J. Ross of the U.S. Army 8th Balloon Company, killed in action in France.
U.S. Army balloon operations continued at Ross Field for a few years, but by the mid-1920s, the base was closed. Today it’s the site of Arcadia County Park and Golf Course.
Capt. Edgar P. Sorensen, left, and pilot Capt. H.C. Gray are the crew of U.S. Army balloon 19-35 before flight. This photo taken at Ross Field in Arcadia was publshed in the Oct. 19, 1921 LA Times.