Ivy Baldwin

Ivy Baldwin was born William Ivy on July 31, 1866 in Houston, Texas He changed his name in later years to Ivy Baldwin so that he could be billed as one of "The Baldwin Brothers". Baldwin was an American balloonist, aeronaut and high-wire performer. He is credited with being the first aviator to be shot down during wartime in the U.S. during the Spanish–American War.

Biography In 1877, he performed in Thayer Dollar Circus as a tightrope walker. He later joined with Thomas and Sam Baldwin—billed as "The Baldwin Brothers"—performing high wire acts as well as balloon ascensions and parachuting. The Baldwin Brothers performed using handmade balloons filled with hot air which would ascend to 2500 feet as Ivy Baldwin performed acrobatics and would parachute to the ground. He became a solo performer in 1893.

Baldwin joined the U.S. Army Signal Corps the following year as a sergeant, piloting and maintaining their demonstration balloon. In 1898, during the Spanish-American War, Baldwin was the pilot of the hot air balloon that gave U.S. troops location information of Spanish snipers before the Battle of San Juan Hill. The balloon was shot down on June 30, 1898, and landed in the Aguadores River. Baldwin was later honorably discharged. Returning to performance, he dubbed himself "the air hero of the late War" and sold fragments of the destroyed balloon. Mary Elitch Long, the owner of the gardens, was quoted as saying: "Mr. Long and I were the first passengers to soar into the Colorado sky. I must confess there were some apprehensive gasps as the starting whistle blew, but our fears soon gave place to a feeling of power and security as we ascended... From the great height of fifteen hundred feet, all Denver and its environs of mountains and plains lay spread before our entranced vision."

Ivy Baldwin lived many years in Eldorado Canyon, in Boulder County, Colorado. He celebrated his 82nd birthday by tightrope walking 125 feet above South Boulder Creek, a crossing he'd made 80 times in 40 years. Baldwin died at home in his sleep on Oct. 8, 1953, at the age of 87.

Halls of fame He was the first inductee to the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame in 1969, along with 9 other early Colorado aviators.