Queen, New Mexico: Flying Paper Boy of the Guadalupes
RoadsideAmerica.com Team Field Report
- Address:
- Hwy 137, Queen, NM
- Directions:
- North of Carlsbad on US Hwy 285 to Hwy 137 (Queen Rd/Hwy). Turn west and head toward Queen at every fork in the road. The monument is 36 miles west from US Hwy 285, inside the Lincoln National Forest, just past the Guadalupe Christian Camp, on the right hand side. Almost to the Texas border, but there's no way to get to it from Texas. Make certain to have a full tank of gas.
- Admission:
- Free.
- RA Rates:
- Worth a Detour
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Flying Paper Boy of the Guadalupes
One of the more obscure, out-of-the-way monuments in America, marking the spot where the pilot newspaper delivery man crashed.
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An additional fact about Frank Kindel, the flying paperboy: just before he and Reverend Plapp boarded their aircraft and crashed, Frank sang a hymn to the assembled hunters. The hymn was, "Jesus Savior, Pilot Me." I remember it vividly. Turned me right off religion.
[Jer McGaha, 11/13/2018]Flying Paper Boy of the Guadalupes
Frank A. Kendall was a walking one-man-chamber-of-commerce for Carlsbad, N.Mex. in the 1950s and early '60s.
One Sunday in October 1963, he took me with him on his Sunday paper route. We met at the dock at the Carlsbad Current Argus newspaper at about dark:30 in the a.m. and got a bundle and took them with us to three or four restaurants that were open to the tourist business at about six in the morning. He walked through the cafes wearing a hat with a bat on it or something to do with Carlsbad Cavern National Park, passing out papers, brochures and tourist information. Pleasant feller, he made the tourist glad they were up and ready to see the sights in our fair city.
By 7:00 a.m. we were up in his little red plane flying over ranches, the Carlsbad Caverns National Park Rangers homes and then over some ranches in the Guadalupe Mountains. As we made a pass over the Rangers' residences, we could see them come out in their jammies and robes looking up at us and waiting. Frank was in front, at the wheel and he would have me put a paper in his hand. He would wait 'til the right moment, holding it in the drop-hole, and then he'd release it and bank the plane so we could see the paper as it sailed right down to the front yard of the expectant ranger and wife. After it was all done, he'd do a wing wave as we left the area.
I was a teen-ager at the time and Frank was gone soon. Forty years later, I was taking my new bride on a honeymoon hiking trip. We were in the Guadalupes near Queen as I was telling her this story. On that long lonesome road, we came around the bend to a wide spot and there was the monument. Nowadays, none of my stories are doubted. Not by her, anyways.
[Mickey C. Lavy, Jr., 04/26/2008]Nearby Offbeat Places
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