Up, Up, and Away : Balloon Ascensions in Cuba City

By the year 1920, residents of Cuba City could look up with wonder at the occasional airplane flying over their homes. But Cuba City's first brush with aviation occurred much earlier.

In the decades following the Civil War, another airborne marvel--the hot-air balloon--was entertaining crowds across the country. Balloonists, or "aeronauts," traveled from town to town in the fair weather months, performing balloon ascensions before their wide-eyed audiences. 

Hours in advance of an event, a team of men formed a bonfire to inflate the balloon, taking great care not to ignite the fabric. When conditions were right, the aeronaut, with nerves of steel, climbed onto the trapeze dangling below, and rose in the air. Once a safe altitude was reached, he or she detached from the balloon and parachuted to the ground.

Balloon ascension at the Concord (N.H.) State Fair, circa 1901. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division (LC-USZ62-58876).

Balloon ascensions were a regular source of entertainment for 'Cubanites' from as early as 1888, when a balloon was raised following the Fourth of July fireworks, and the aerial attraction continued to entertain Cuba City residents until at least 1906. The balloons likely took off from the city park area (Veterans Memorial Park today), where large gatherings were held.

Members of one tri-state area aeronaut family--the Dockstaders--visited Cuba City on multiple occasions. The exploits of Alfred Dockstader and particularly his wife, Catherine, better known as "Madame Dockstader," are well reported in local newspapers of the time. 

Advertisement for a balloon ascension by the Dockstaders in Dubuque. Published in the Dubuque Daily Globe-Journal (September 15, 1906).

The couple, who operated a candy store in Galena for many years when they were not defying gravity, had a flair for the dramatic.  Before one ascension, Madame Dockstader "bade her husband good-bye and kissed her little baby. To the surprise of the uninitiated she made the ascent in skirts, but her position in the trapeze was such that they did not prove cumbersome." (Galena Gazette, October 2, 1891)

After bidding her adieus, the fearless aeronaut positioned herself on the trapeze and rose into the air. Mr. Dockstader would fire a pistol when he judged the distance right for parachuting back to earth. If she happened to have her pet pug dog with her, as she did on occasion, the pup would be sent down with a separate parachute.

As one might expect, the risks of such an endeavor were many. If the air in the balloon was not hot enough, the aeronaut risked flying into buildings, trees, and wires. Landings could be rough, as well, if the parachute was not opened high enough for a smooth return to earth. Alighting on rooftops and in trees or rivers was not uncommon. The life-or-death nature of the spectacle could result in onlookers fainting or becoming seriously ill themselves when flights were particularly nerve-wracking.

One of Madame Dockstader's Cuba City performances in 1906 went a bit off-script and, though she survived the ordeal, rumors of her death circulated following the performance.

Published in the Galena Gazette (July 6, 1906).

Further details of the incident were provided when the Galena Gazette summarized a report from the Cuba City News-Herald: 

"The balloon ascensions by Madame Dockstader were very successful, the one in the morning being keenly exciting. As the balloon arose on its upward flight it brushed through the trees, sweeping its lone passenger from her seat, it being necessary for her to hang by her arms the entire journey. Eight ropes supported the parachute, four of which were snapped in twain. No injuries were received other than a few bruises." (July 7, 1906)

Though balloon ascensions continued to draw crowds in the area well into the 20th century, the Dockstader visit in 1906 is the last instance I've found of a performance in Cuba City, as tastes changed and that new flying marvel--the airplane--captured people's imagination.