John J. Montgomery was born in Yuba City, California on February 15, 1858. He attended St. Ignatius College and received a degree in physics. In 1883 he moved from Oakland, CA, to his family’s ranch on Otay Mesa. He began conducting flight experiments culminating in a glider which he launched in August 1883.

John J. Montgomery was born in Yuba City, California on February 15, 1858. He attended St. Ignatius College and received a degree in physics. In 1883 he moved from Oakland, CA, to his family’s ranch on Otay Mesa. According to his biography, in that year he saw a flock of pelicans, studied their movements, and their shapes, and reasoned that if birds could be supported in the air, why not a man?

1.44 Cubic Feet Four archival boxes 5” X 10” X 12.5”. Many of the items in this collection were damaged by a fire at the museum in 1978.

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