Ho-Ho-Kus August 1, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 3 Race track was site of 1912 airmail flight by Jennifer Crusco The race track that was developed in the Borough of HoHo-Kus in the 1870s was famous throughout its operation, which continued into 1938. While the former 23-acre farm and current residential neighborhood at Race Track Road, Arbor Drive, and Bernard Place was the site of horse, car, and motorcycle races; county fairs; and a horse sale known as the French Remount, the property was permanently etched into history 100 years ago. On Aug. 3, 1912, the first government-sanctioned airmail delivery flight in this area left from the race track for its ultimate destination: the YMCA field on Oak Street in Ridgewood. The 1903 introduction of the airplane brought a relatively quick new way to deliver mail both nationally and internationally. The first airmail flight in the U.S. was made in 1911, when pilot and former racecar driver Fred Wiseman flew three letters from Petaluma to Santa Rosa, California. Regular airmail service was established in the United States in 1918 with a route that ran between New York City and Washington, D.C. with a stop in Philadelphia. In 1912, Ridgewood Postmaster Roger Bridgman established a temporary postal substation at the race track in HoHo-Kus. Francis Durafour was tapped to make the delivery, but he got lost on his flight from Hackensack to Ho-HoKus. This turn of events paved the way for pilot Joseph Richter’s historic flight. Richter picked up the mail pouch containing 1,662 pieces of mail, all of which had been specially marked “aerial special dispatch,” and promptly took off -- in the wrong direction. After realizing his mistake, he returned to Ho-Ho-Kus, performed a speed demonstration, and landed. He obtained directions and headed off again. This time, he succeeded in delivering the mail, which was received by postal employees Walter Van Emburgh and W.P. Spreitzer. The day was one of false starts and redemption, with Richter stepping in for the lost Durafour and then correcting his own navigational error. The overarching false start was that the day was to have been an air show and aviation meet sponsored by the Greater Aviation Company. Plans called for airplane displays and rides, a monoplane demonstration, sky diving, contests, and a band performance. More than 10,000 spectators turned out for the show, many Detail of a post card delivered by Ricther on Aug. 3, 1912. of whom had traveled on the local trolley whose operator had received permission to add cars for the event. However, all the plans for the day – except for the one now remembered – were scuttled. Several pilots got lost, others had mechanical problems with their planes, and one aviator who arrived late in the day did not stay. Sam Nagle, who had purchased the track in the early 1900s, had the show operator refund spectators’ money. It was Richter’s flight that saved the day, and made history in the process. Twenty years after Richter’s flight, Joe Viviano organized an anniversary celebration. Viviano, who was a barber in Ho-Ho-Kus for many years and was known for his enjoyment of Italian opera, was an organizer of an early incarnation of the Ho-Ho-Kus Chamber of Commerce. Pilot Joseph Richter