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Christmas Card from Neta Snook
Postcard image from 1917

Neta Snook, early Ames aviatrix, sent this holiday greeting home to her parents at 828 Wilson while she was attending the Curtiss Flying School in Newport News, Virginia.  In Ames, Neta flew her plane from the Squaw Creek floodplain south of Lincoln Way.  She is most often remembered today as Amelia Earhart's flight instructor.

Another Christmas postcard from Neta Snook

(Photographs courtesy of Karsten Smedal, Neta's nephew)

Neta purchased a wrecked Canuck, a Canadian version of the U.S. JN-4 Jenny, and had it shipped to her parents home in Ames.  She returned to enroll again at Iowa State College and rebuilt the plane in her spare time.  On the reverse of this photo is the inscription, The piano box where our old hens roost and our little new house where the others stay.  Dankel's barn and their chicken house with the door open.  This photo was taken behind the Wm. F. Snook home at 828 Wilson in Ames, Iowa, just a few blocks from downtown. People came to see it and asked, How will you get it out of this small yard?  Can you fly straight up?  Which is the front end?  Learn more about this famous Ames pioneer aviatrix.

The Experimental Aircraft Association built a replica Spirit of St. Louis in 1977 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Charles Lindbergh's flight across the Atlantic Ocean.  While undertaking a commemorative flight, Verne Jobst landed to convince early aviation pioneer Neta (Snook) Southern to take a turn at flying the plane.  Although Neta hadn't flown an airplane in 55 years, she took over the controls when offered.  It was reported she "did a fine job" at the stick of the Spirit.  Above, Neta Snook Southern, Verne Jobst and the Spirit are pictured at San Carlos, California, just after a flight around the San Francisco Bay area.