LINDBERGH CHARLES: (1902-1974) American Aviator who made the first solo non-stop flight across the A...

LINDBERGH CHARLES: (1902-1974) American Aviator who made the first solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean, 20th - 21st May 1927. A.L.S., Charles A. Lindbergh, four pages (airmail stationery), 4to, n.p. ('In flight over Brazil'), 24th August 1968, to Gladys Bueler, Secretary of the Garden of the Gods Preservation Council in Colorado Springs. Lindbergh informs his correspondent that he had been travelling in Europe for several weeks, and only returned home to Connecticut for one night, before leaving on his current trip to South America, and apologises for the delay in writing to her, commenting 'The Garden of the Gods means a great deal to me, for it, and Colorado, have (been) woven through my family's life, and mine, for many years. One of my great uncles….took a major part in the protection of the fish in Colorado streams. I feel sure he admired the Garden of the Gods as I do in a later generation' and reflecting 'My own first contact with those fantastic rocks came in 1916, when I was driving my mother….on a trip (which took us about forty days) between Minnesota and California. I was then fourteen years of age. My mother had been telling me about the great Rocky Mountains, and the Garden of the Gods, even before we left our Minnesota home. I remember watching the colours unfold as we approached the area - slowly….when we arrived at the rocks themselves, we stopped for several hours, and I climbed one of them….I think I have never seen a more spectacular and magnificent place'. Lindbergh also adds 'Barnstorming in Colorado, in 1925, I flew over and circled the Garden of the Gods; and laying out the transcontinental passenger airline (T.A.T.), in 1928-29, I often detoured far enough from my route to fly above it. I think my last view of the Garden (at least from reasonably low altitude) was from the plane carrying the Air-Force-Academy site-selection Commission, of which I was a member. But my clearest memories come from earlier years, when there was enough time to climb or circle' and further declares 'The Garden of the Gods is one of the most beautiful and spectacular areas in the world. It would be a tragedy of major magnitude to lose, or detract from its great qualities - an…indifference on the part of our generation, and a lack of responsibility for those succeeding us. I sincerely hope the citizens of Colorado are successful in their efforts to preserve it', concluding by explaining that it will be some days before Bueler receives his letter, explaining 'I write in a small plane over the Amazon basin, en route to the northern frontier of Brazil where I will spend a day or two looking over one of South America's major park areas. Our stops for fuel will be at landing fields so distant from major cities that it may be advisable for me to carry the envelope back to Rio before mailing'. In a postscript, Lindbergh states that he is enclosing 'my check (no longer present) for a hundred dollars, as a contribution to the efforts of your Preservation Council'. A letter of interesting content, written whilst in flight! VG £500-800 The Garden of the Gods is a public park located in Colorado Springs and was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1971.