Barnhill & McGee Airways
Encyclopedia
Barnhill & McGee Airways, one of the earliest air services in Alaska
, was founded in Anchorage
as a partnership between Harvey W. Barnhill and Linious "Mac" McGee
in 1932. The airline served McGee’s fur business and offered service between Anchorage and Bristol Bay. Although Barnhill & McGee Airways lasted for only two years, it was the forerunner of McGee Airways which was the forerunner of Alaska Airlines
.
transporting personnel and a fortune in furs from the trading ship Nanuck that was stranded in the ice off the coast of Siberia
. He flew in the search for the Eielson wreck after his fatal crash in the winter of 1929-1930.
An Indiana native, Linious "Mac" McGee
who subsequently worked as a miner, truck driver, dishwasher and fur buyer, came to Alaska in the fall of 1929 by stowing away on an Alaska-bound steamship looking for business opportunities, after several failed ventures. He became a fur buyer using dog teams & chartered airplanes. He needed an airplane of his own to go to some of the remote areas of Alaska to buy furs.
McGee teamed up with "Barney" Barnhill in 1931, purchasing a three-seat Stinson
SM8A aircraft for $5000 from Varney Airlines
in San Francisco. They shipped the plane to Alaska on a steamship, taking it off the ship in Valdez
, where they reassembled the airplane on the beach, flew it to Anchorage and formed Barnhill & McGee Airways. McGee learned to fly but preferred managing, so he hired other pilots and paid them a commission of the gross sales generated by the planes they flew.
flying out of Anchorage. Although Barnhill & McGee Airways lasted only a short time, it was the forerunner of McGee Airways which was the forerunner of Alaska Airlines
.
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, was founded in Anchorage
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
as a partnership between Harvey W. Barnhill and Linious "Mac" McGee
Linious "Mac" McGee
Linious "Mac" McGee , an Alaskan aviation pioneer and founder of McGee Airways, which, through a long series of mergers and acquisitions became Alaska Airlines.-Biography:...
in 1932. The airline served McGee’s fur business and offered service between Anchorage and Bristol Bay. Although Barnhill & McGee Airways lasted for only two years, it was the forerunner of McGee Airways which was the forerunner of Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines is an airline based in the Seattle suburb of SeaTac, Washington in the United States. The airline originated in 1932 as McGee Airways. After many mergers with and acquisitions of other airlines, including Star Air Service, it became known as Alaska Airlines in 1944...
.
Early history
Harvey W. Barnhill nicknamed "Barney" Barnhill was a legendary, hard-drinking bush pilot. He came to Alaska in 1929 and was part of Carl Ben Eielson’s team in FairbanksFairbanks, Alaska
Fairbanks is a home rule city in and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska.Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska, and second largest in the state behind Anchorage...
transporting personnel and a fortune in furs from the trading ship Nanuck that was stranded in the ice off the coast of Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
. He flew in the search for the Eielson wreck after his fatal crash in the winter of 1929-1930.
An Indiana native, Linious "Mac" McGee
Linious "Mac" McGee
Linious "Mac" McGee , an Alaskan aviation pioneer and founder of McGee Airways, which, through a long series of mergers and acquisitions became Alaska Airlines.-Biography:...
who subsequently worked as a miner, truck driver, dishwasher and fur buyer, came to Alaska in the fall of 1929 by stowing away on an Alaska-bound steamship looking for business opportunities, after several failed ventures. He became a fur buyer using dog teams & chartered airplanes. He needed an airplane of his own to go to some of the remote areas of Alaska to buy furs.
McGee teamed up with "Barney" Barnhill in 1931, purchasing a three-seat Stinson
Stinson Aircraft Company
The Stinson Aircraft Company was an aircraft manufacturing company in the United States between the 1920s and the 1950s.-The Company:The Stinson Aircraft Company was founded in Dayton, Ohio, in 1920 by aviator Edward “Eddie” Stinson, brother to Katherine Stinson. After five years of business...
SM8A aircraft for $5000 from Varney Airlines
Varney Airlines
Varney Air Lines was an airline company that started service on April 6, 1926 as an air-mail carrier. Formed by Walter Varney, the airline was based in Boise, Idaho, United States.-Historical background:...
in San Francisco. They shipped the plane to Alaska on a steamship, taking it off the ship in Valdez
Valdez, Alaska
Valdez is a city in Valdez-Cordova Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 4,020. The city is one of the most important ports in Alaska. The port of Valdez was named in 1790 after the Spanish naval officer Antonio Valdés y...
, where they reassembled the airplane on the beach, flew it to Anchorage and formed Barnhill & McGee Airways. McGee learned to fly but preferred managing, so he hired other pilots and paid them a commission of the gross sales generated by the planes they flew.
Operations
For the first few months they used the Stinson only for McGee’s fur buying trips to remote villages, but by the middle of Jan 1932, they were running two display adds in the Anchorage Daily Times, one for McGee’s fur business and the other for Barnhill & McGee Airways as an airline offering service between Anchorage and Bristol Bay.Dissolved
In the late spring of 1932, Barnhill & McGee dissolved their partnership after using a bank loan to purchase an additional Stinson. While Barnhill kept the newer Stinson at first, he sold it back to McGee when winter arrived. McGee went on to found McGee AirwaysMcGee Airways
McGee Airways was an American airline, founded in Anchorage, Alaska, in 1932 by Linious "Mac" McGee. Starting with a single three seat Stinson airplane, the company grew and the fleet of aircraft expanded to seven Stinsons....
flying out of Anchorage. Although Barnhill & McGee Airways lasted only a short time, it was the forerunner of McGee Airways which was the forerunner of Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines is an airline based in the Seattle suburb of SeaTac, Washington in the United States. The airline originated in 1932 as McGee Airways. After many mergers with and acquisitions of other airlines, including Star Air Service, it became known as Alaska Airlines in 1944...
.
See also
- Linious "Mac" McGeeLinious "Mac" McGeeLinious "Mac" McGee , an Alaskan aviation pioneer and founder of McGee Airways, which, through a long series of mergers and acquisitions became Alaska Airlines.-Biography:...
- Harvey W. Barnhill
- McGee AirwaysMcGee AirwaysMcGee Airways was an American airline, founded in Anchorage, Alaska, in 1932 by Linious "Mac" McGee. Starting with a single three seat Stinson airplane, the company grew and the fleet of aircraft expanded to seven Stinsons....
- Alaska AirlinesAlaska AirlinesAlaska Airlines is an airline based in the Seattle suburb of SeaTac, Washington in the United States. The airline originated in 1932 as McGee Airways. After many mergers with and acquisitions of other airlines, including Star Air Service, it became known as Alaska Airlines in 1944...
Further reading
- International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 29. St. James Press, 1999.
- Alaska Airlines: General Information and History, Seattle: Alaska Airlines, 1992.
- Alaska Airlines, Archie Satterfield (1981). The Alaska Airlines Story. (Anchorage, AK: Alaska Northwest Pub. Co., 207 p.). Alaska Airlines—History. ISBN 978-0-88240-164-5
- Robert J. Serling, Character & Characters: The Spirit of Alaska Airlines (Seattle: Documentary Media LLC, 2008), 492 pp., hardback, ISBN 978-1-933245-11-9
External links
- Mac McGee - The Beginnings, Alaska AirlinesAlaska AirlinesAlaska Airlines is an airline based in the Seattle suburb of SeaTac, Washington in the United States. The airline originated in 1932 as McGee Airways. After many mergers with and acquisitions of other airlines, including Star Air Service, it became known as Alaska Airlines in 1944...
- Alaska Airlines 75th Anniversary, Air Transport WorldAir Transport WorldAir Transport World is a monthly trade magazine covering the airline industry published by Penton Media. They also provide an online version with daily air transport news. The publication covers airline operations, market conditions, management, and related issues...
- A diamond in the sky: Alaska Airlines celebrates 75 years of service above the clouds., Alaska Business Monthly
- Alaska Airlines 75th Anniversary Web Site, Alaska's World
- AIRLINES - Business History of Carriers, Kipnotes
- Roy Dickson 1930s Alaska Bush Pilot