The Eagle and the Archaeologists: The Lindberghs’ 1929 Southwest Aerial Survey

Charles Lindbergh is best known for his famous 1927 flight across the Atlantic Ocean. But few realize that Lindbergh and his wife, Anne, played a brief but important role in archaeology. In 1929 they teamed up with noted archaeologist Alfred Kidder to conduct an unprecedented aerial photographic survey of Southwest prehistoric sites and geologic features including Chaco Canyon, the Grand Canyon, and Canyon de Chelly. Featuring Lindbergh’s historic photographs, this presentation describes this adventurous pioneering collaboration of aviation and archaeology.

Raised in Flagstaff, Arizona, Erik Berg is an award-winning historian and writer with a special interest in the early twentieth century Southwest and the impact of science and technology. In addition to contributing to several books, his work has appeared in the Journal of Arizona History, Arizona Highways, and Sedona Magazine. A past president of the Grand Canyon Historical Society, Berg currently lives in Phoenix.