In one of the first commercial uses of aviation, Farnum Fish flew from Chicago to Milwaukee. Sponsored by the Milwaukee Journal, Fish made the 93-mi. flight in his Wright B Flyer on May 25, 1912, over the lake but never out of sight of the shore. He dropped 7,500 handbills advertising Wisconsin’s Boston Store before he delivered four bolts of cloth and an “unofficial” mail delivery.

A Los Angeles native, Fish learned to fly in Dayton, receiving some instruction from Orville Wright. In 1911, he became the world’s youngest licensed pilot at age 15. The same year, Fish bought a Wright Model B and competed in Chicago’s Aviation Meet where he came in 7th of the 20 winning cash prizes.[1]

[1]Balloons to Jets: A Century of Aviation in Illinois 1855–1955; by Howard L. Scamehorn; Carbondale IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 2000. p.72, 95-96.

Lincoln Beachey [online] “Cicero Flying Field: Origin, Operation, Obscurity and Legacy—1891 to 1916: 1912–Busy, Exciting, Disappointing and Deadly”; updated 2013, accessed 5/5/2017; 

http://www.lincolnbeachey.com/cicart.html 

Wikipedia [Online]; “Farnum Fish”; accessed 5/16/17;

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farnum_Fish