Double Arrow on Acalanes Ridge - Contra Costa County, California, USA
Posted by: DougK
N 37° 54.159 W 122° 04.686
10S E 581048 N 4195414
This rare Double Arrow is often called the Walnut Creek Arrow.
Waymark Code: WMQVW6
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 04/02/2016
Views: 22
This is a rare double shafted, double pointed arrow as can be seen in
Google Satellite View. Two airmail routes passed over this arrow. Contract Air Mail (CAM) route #8, Seattle, WA - Los Angeles, CA flown by Pacific Air Transport began it's flights on September 15, 1926 and Contract Air Mail #18, Chicago, IL - San Francisco, CA, flown by Boeing Air Transport began it's flights on July 1, 1927.
This arrow is unique due to it having ‘two tails’ and ‘two arrow points. Both tails are on an uphill slant, while the arrow points are on a downhill slant. Only the center portion of the arrow where the beacon once stood is on level ground. The arrow is complete and in basically good condition. However, people have come up here and painted graffiti over the entire arrow.
Measurements:
The left tail to both the left arrow point & right arrow point are 57 feet in length.
The right tail alone is 24 feet in length.
The pilot would approach the right tail of the arrow on a compass heading of 329° (N-NW).
The pilot would approach the left tail of the arrow on a compass heading of 25° (N-NE).
The pilot would exit the right arrow point on a compass heading of 48° (NE).
The pilot would exit the left arrow point on a compass heading of 25° (N-NE).
(All measurements and compass headings are approximate).
This is the second arrow on the San Francisco-Reno Section of th San Francisco to Salt Lake Airway of the Chicago-San Francisco Contract Air Mail Route #18. Arrow point #1 on the left points to Beacon "2B SF-SL" on Vine Hill, now the Concord Naval Weapons Station. Arrow Point #2 on the right points to Concord Air Mail Field "2A SF-SL". Arrow shaft #1,on the left is aligned with "1A SF-SL", now the Oakland City Stables. Arrow shaft #2 on the left points to an unnumbered beacon on the San Fransisco-Los Angeles Airway.
It is known as "1B SF-SL", which would have been painted on the generator shack, to let the pilots know their location.
Above information extracted from Arrows Across America