WOSU's Curious Cbus answers your questions about our region, its history and its people.

J Hoster wrote in to ask about the local history of Cromwell Dixon, a child prodigy who became the first pilot to fly across the continental divide.

Dixon grew up in Columbus University District, where his engineering talent made him a local celebrity.

He started by building complex contraptions in his backyard, including a roller coaster and a motorcycle.

Eventually, he turned to aviation.

At the time, airplanes were just starting to get off the ground.

Large gas filled balloons called dirigibles, were much more common.

Dixon designed his own dirigible made of bicycle parts and an enormous silk balloon.

He began construction of his sky cycle in 1905 at the age of 13.

He spent two years perfecting the aircraft and ran test flights on Ohio State's campus.

Dixon became so well known among the university students that he was the Ohio State football mascot in 1906, long before Brutus Buckeye was created.

Funding the construction of the airship was very expensive.

Most of the initial investments came from his mother, who was able to raise $10,000 from wealthy investors in St Louis.

Dixon completed his sky cycle, which he named "The Moon" in 1907.

His first flight was a leisurely hour long float above the Columbus Driving Park racetrack, now home to the Driving Park neighborhood.

After several successful flights at the racetrack, Dixon began performing daily at Olentangy Park, an amusement park in Clintonville.

Over the next three years, Dixon took the moon to Airshows in Boston, Chicago, Saint Louis and beyond, where thousands flocked to see his sky cycle in action.

In 1911, Dixon started a new chapter in his aviation career.

He ditched the dirigible in favor of the fixed wing airplane and became the youngest person in the world with a pilot's license.

He was 19.

That year, he performed daring flights at exhibitions across the Midwest and worked as a brand representative for the up and coming airplane manufacturer, Glenn Curtis.

On September 30th, 1911, he took off from Helena, Montana, flew over the Rocky Mountains and became the first person to fly across the continental divide.

Unfortunately, Dixon's career was cut short by a fatal accident just three days later at an exhibition in Spokane, Washington.

His plane hit a powerful gust of air, flipped over and fell 100 feet into a rocky ravine.

Dixon's remains were transported back to Columbus, where he was laid to rest at Greenlawn Cemetery.

Newspaper accounts of his funeral detail, the boy's tremendous popularity, noting the church was completely filled with mourning neighbors.

Though his career ended far too early, Cromwell Dixon is remembered today as a trailblazer in aviation history.

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