Maud Bolin-Her Story – Toppenish, WA
Posted by: 
beagle39z
N 46° 22.646 W 120° 18.539
10T E 706946 N 5139503
Maud Bolin was one of the first female pilots and one of the first women to parachute jump. She was also a rodeo rider who competed in Madison Square Garden and in many of the famous rodeos around the West.
Waymark Code: WMEQ7J
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 06/25/2012
Views: 2
Bolin made the two parachute jumps as a prerequisite to receiving her pilot's license. Learning to fly in 1927, just nine years after Amelia Earhart began flying, Bolin was one of Washington earliest female aviators, one of only two women living in the Yakima Valley to pilot a plane solo, and the first American Indian woman in the state (Yakama Tribe), and probably the country, to pilot an airplane.
Bolin loved flying, participating in air shows and cross-country tours. In 1928 she made her first cross-country flight. With another pilot, she flew across the state dropping campaign literature for Senator Clarence C. Dill. A charter member of the Yakima Lady Birds, a woman's aviation club formed in 1928, she endeavored to make women of the Yakima Valley more flight-minded.
In 1930, after receiving her solo pilot's license, Bolin traveled with the Pacific Northern Airway Tour. Some 40 planes started out on the tour of 16 Northwest cities and towns. Bolin's plane was one of the few that actually completed the circuit, making all 16 scheduled stops. She proclaimed that participating had greatly increased her confidence in her solo flying skills. The Pacific Northern Airway Tour had great educational value for visitors at local airports as well as for the pilots.
Flying airplanes was just Bolin's latest venture in feminine independence. Her earlier career as a cowgirl and rodeo performer also took a great deal of courage, skill, and endurance. Bolin performed with the Spain Brothers' rodeo shows throughout the West. A daredevil, she often raced horses in rodeos such as the Pendleton Round-Up, Ellensburg Rodeo, and Toppenish Powwow.
She frequently competed in the women's relay race, a top feature in Northwest rodeos. In this treacherous race, one person held a string of tough-mouthed relay ponies while the rider made the quick change of mount needed for the race. Riders ran three laps on three different mounts, changing horses after each lap. Bolin rode in the Toppenish Powwow relays until she was well into her 30s, although she admitted that participating in the contest without practice had become difficult.
Larry Kangas, the artist, is from Portland, Oregon. The mural is on the southwest wall of the Toppenish Review building at 11 East Toppenish Ave.
City: Toppenish
Location Name: Toppenish Review building at 11 East Toppenish Ave, southwest wall
Artist: Larry Kangas
Date: 1993
Media: House paint on brick wall
Relevant Web Site: Not listed
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